Hunger Games: The Victors' Chronicles
by Zulera301
Summary: Over the course of Panem's recent history, there have been dozens of Hunger Games that have come and gone, and no two are ever alike. The victors are different of course, and even similar-looking arenas are never the same. So what happened in these years? Who won, who lost, and why were they remembered? Learn the stories of past victors, and how they did what they did.
1. The 1st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _There was a small hiatus after I finished one fanfic and started another, where I came up with this idea. It's been brewing in my head for quite some time now, and it will be updated periodically like most of my other current works. This is simply a collection of short stories about the past games. Contrary to many of my other works, the focus of this oneshot collection is primarily the games and associated events rather than the characters. However, a partner project in the works called "Victors: Before and After the Games" will take these victor characters (as well as some of their allies and adversaries) and flesh them out much more. This installment is more just explaining the events of the games. Otherwise this thing would likely be 3-4 times its current (and already formidable) length.  
Obviously these will not be the full length ~40+ chapter sagas that my "Fire Without a Spark" series is, but heck, if a certain chapter/story is well-liked and well-received, I might end up writing the full account of it if popular demand is high enough. Some of the early chapters might be a bit repetitive at first, but that's more because I believe it took the Capitol a few years to get the hang of what they were doing. Later chapters, such as the Quarter Quells or almost anything between 40 and 50, are all much more diverse.  
Also updated by request: At the end of each chapter, I will show a comprehensive list of all the victors of the games up to that point, also keeping track of how many victors each district has (by saying "#N, District X" where X is the District number and N is the victor number. HG stands for Hunger Games, of course.)_  
_In the meantime, enjoy learning about nearly 100 victors and their experiences with the 'games. These stories take place in my "Fire Without a Spark" alternate timeline, which means not only will we start to see familiar faces in chapters 91, 92, 93, 94, etc; but we also might see familiar faces in chapters like 75, 74, 65, or 50. The story is now complete, epilogues and all.  
Happy Reading!_

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

_They say that no one ever wins the Hunger Games. They say that you never truly leave the arena. They say no one decent ever comes out of there alive._

_They are all completely wrong. They have no real understanding of the perils of a victor—the things they have seen and done. They alone have the uncensored and unabridged account of what went on in the arena—for they are the only ones who are still alive to tell the tales. There are only 99 people in all of Panem who have this level of understanding—the realization that this brutal sadism was going on all around them and that they were in the spotlight; the realization that in order for them to be alive today, many others had to die. These individuals are veterans; victors of nearly a century of different Hunger Games._

_These are their stories._

**The 1st Annual Hunger Games**

There was once a time where the Hunger Games were much different than they are now: before mentors, before career tributes, before cornucopia bloodbaths, before elaborate arenas, and before sponsor gifts and more. These were the 1st Annual Hunger Games. This marked the year anniversary of the fall of the rebellion and the utter annihilation of District 13. These were the first reapings. These were the first tributes.

Many of them were chosen as children of some of the more prominent rebellious figures from the war. In districts like '12, '8, '11, and 3, there were plenty to choose from. One thing of particular note was that the ceremonies all remained the same. Events such as the chariot parade, the training (and private) sessions, and tribute interviews were things all set up in advance by the Capitol, and so perhaps other than the awkwardness between kids that might have even known each other before the districts were closed off, as they realized they now had to kill each other, the pre-game events were all still the same.

The actual Hunger Games were a bit different. The arena was very basic that year—mostly just a grassy meadow surrounding the cornucopia (another element of the games that had been there since the beginning) with a few trees or crevices and such to hide in. Tributes had been warned beforehand that waiting 60 seconds before moving was essential, and that "those who chose to disregard this single rule would come to regret it in a way they would never comprehend"

Well, that year a boy from District 4 thought he could jump the gun. He was the first one in Panem to discover that the pedestals were rigged with landmines. Essentially, there was little left of him to be picked up, although his unfortunate neighboring tributes—the girl from District 2 and the girl from District 8—panicked on the spot because they were now splattered with blood. The former of these two freaked out so badly that she nearly lost her balance.

Thus, as the gunshot that signaled the start of the games went off, the Capitol was more surprised than they should have been that the 23 remaining tributes didn't move a muscle. Was this some sort of sick sadistic trap to see who could stand on the pedestal the longest? None of them wanted to end up like that District 4 kid, and so none of them moved for several minutes. There was such an awkward silence that the Gamemakers actually made an announcement.

"Attention tributes: At the conclusion of the 60-second countdown, the mines around the pedestals are deactivated. They are put in place as a safety measure for the sole purpose of preventing tributes from jumping the gun. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

Well, even this was not quite enough to sway the wary tributes, until a boy from District 3 took off his boots, tied them together, and dropped them in front of his pedestal. They hit the ground with an awkward thud and there was silence. However, instead of a frantic scramble, the other kids began merely sauntering towards the cornucopia to see what kind of supplies there were there. The District 3 boy did manage to get his boots back on, and wandered over to a set of throwing knives. Not too far away, a girl from District 9 picked up a bow and arrow.

Perhaps jokingly, a large boy from District 10 stood up on a crate of food and brandished a large cleaver.

"If anyone dares try to take this from me I'll kill them!" he joked. The kids had still not fully wrapped their minds around the notion that they were supposed to be killing them. In fact, the girls from Districts 2, 8 and 4 (given that he had been the latter's partner) were still in a bit of shock from the boy's explosive death.

However, even with the playful boasting, one of the other tributes decided to take his challenge to heart. Pulling back the string of the bow, despite being surrounded by curious tributes, that District 9 girl nocked an arrow, and let it fly. Her aim was surprisingly good, and it shot right through the side of the District 10 boy's skull, dropping him instantly.

While they had been informed that the cannons fired only to signify deaths (the first one had been muffled by the landmine explosion), many of the tributes shrieked or jumped when the 2nd cannon fired. Heads turned and almost all eyes were on that District 9 girl. Her words rang through the arena with a certain profoundness that no one in Panem ever forgot.

"These games aren't going to end until all but one of us is dead." She warned, "I'm not about to volunteer to kill myself either." A split-second later she broke into a run, disappearing into the trees with a slew of other kids in tow.

The girl from District 10 decided to take out her anger on the boy from District 9, figuring that her partner would be the next best thing to avenge her own partner. However, he managed to nearly overpower her, but before he could land the kill, she dodged, and the boy's knife went right into the gut of a girl from District 6, dropping her instantly. That in turn triggered the wrath of her partner, who killed the boy shortly after he managed to properly kill the girl from District 10.

Thus, the bloodbath was born. Accidents and overreactions turned children that might have otherwise been friends or acquaintances, into enemies out for each other's blood.

By sunset on the first day, 18 tributes were dead in the field, many still clutching their weapons. An oddity that modern Hunger Games enthusiasts might have noticed was that Districts 1 and 2 had lost both of their tributes by this time. District 2 in particular made a special note not to lose kids in a bloodbath, and they started seeing this as an actual competition, given the militaristic side of the district that had recently taken root.

Among the scant survivors were the District 11 pair, who were quite competent at surviving outdoors, as well as the District 12 pair. The only other two tributes that had escaped the mayhem were the District 9 girl from earlier, and a boy from District 5. This boy had developed a sort of hit-and-run style tactic, and so he had been in the bloodbath a bit.

Day 2 ended with the girl from District 12 getting sniped by the girl from '9, and her partner getting taken out by the cunning District 5 boy. Day 3 proved to be the penultimate day of the 1st Annual Hunger Games, where the District 11 pair were surprised attacked by this boy, Fukaya Kerezaki, who took the boy down first and the girl out a moment later.

This in turn, meant the games were drawing to a close. All Fukaya needed to do was hunt down Angela Dento from District 9, and there would be a final showdown.

The 4th and final day of the games was when this happened. She had her bow, and so did he. The two tributes circled each other, firing off arrows when they could, but they were both fast enough that despite being fairly good shots, neither one hit the other for several long minutes. It finally ended after Angela was hit in the foot, which gave Fukaya enough time to shoot her through the chest and finally kill her. The 1st Annual Hunger Games was over. Fukaya Kerezaki was the 1st victor from District 5—and the 1st victor to ever live.

Similar to the pre-game events, the post-game events have not changed in the 98 years since then. He had an interview, and then toured the districts 6 months after the fact. Despite being seen as celebrity in the Capitol, Fukaya was a very changed boy. He was much more reserved, and did not ever speak of the events in the meadow. Any time someone even so much as tossed something his way, he would sidestep it and shudder. He was distrustful of people and suspected that they would want to kill him. Thus, the first Victor's Trauma was born.

As short and simple as they might have been, Fukaya's Hunger Games were still horrifying enough for the boy to emerge as a very changed individual from who he once was. Of course, this was only the beginning—the beginning of something great and terrible that would become known as The Hunger Games.

* * *

**AFTERTHOUGHTS:**  
_Just like in the books, some games are more exciting than others. The early games might start out a little slow, but there are a few interesting twists and historical bits embedded in them as well, and so I'm not about to spoil and say which games are the particularly exciting ones. Instead, I'll just encourage those who read this story to explore as many games as they want, and hope that they find a few things that they like._  
_Similarly, feedback is always appreciated. Comments about the overall story are always welcomed, but I also enjoy hearing feedback about individual victors, for better or for worse._ _Also note that any names that resemble real people are coincidental. There are a couple thousand tributes over 99 Hunger Games, which in turn potentially means a lot of names to need and use._

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)


	2. The 2nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _The saga continues, and here we get to catch the first glimpses of what would later become Career Tributes. Remember, if a particular chapter sticks out or you want to hear more about it, there's always a chance that I will be willing to comply. In the meantime, hopefully the early chapters where things are a little slow are not off-putting enough to keep you from the later ones._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 2nd Annual Hunger Games**

After the first Hunger Games, people thought that it was all just a bad dream and that this would be a one-time thing. However, the Capitol was far more ruthless than that, and so the year after, the 2nd Annual Hunger Games were born. After their losses in the 1st games, District 2 had put together a small training facility for kids to hone their skills and potentially do better at the games. This was technically illegal, but District 2 was responsible for producing nearly half of Panem's Peacekeeping force, and so another nondescript training facility was not noticed at first, nor really paid much attention to.

However, it was a hallmark for the 'games. These were the very first "career tributes". This wound up becoming a sign of things to come during the personal training sessions when these "career tributes" scored higher than usual. As a result, they also scored much higher than most of the other tributes. There were no 11s or 12s this early in the games because the tributes were still getting accustomed to this new pageant they were forced into every year, but it would not always remain this way.

The arena was slightly more creative this year. Instead of a mundane meadow, the arena was rather forested, which put some of the rural districts dealing with trees, such as '7 and '11, at an advantage. That did not deter District 2's Randy Ferris however, and he proved his ferocity in the training center before the games. He started mustering allies, saying that they would pick off the weaker tributes first and then have a showdown of strength.

Back then, the career alliance was far less organized than it was this year, and instead of recruiting District 1, Randy recruited his partner, as well as a boy from District 7 and a girl from District 10. They had thus formed the first career alliance.

Some of the kids were still a bit dazzled and shocked by the very notion of the Hunger Games, and a few were even wary of the incident last year where the guy had blown himself to bits by trying to jump the gun. However, this time as the opening gunshot fired, the four "career tributes" raced for the weapons, which in turn sparked the others to start running. Others were fixed on defending themselves, such as the pair from District 5. Fukaya, the victor of last year's games, had also become the first mentor, and so he was able to give District 5's tributes a few tips and tricks that they could potentially expect to see in the games.

The pair from District 2 managed to survive the defenses, but their allies from Districts 10 and 7 were not so fortunate. However, District 5's chance at producing a victor was also exterminated on that first day, as was the chance of a victor from Districts 10, 3, 4, and 9.

This year, only 14 tributes died in this opening bloodbath, which meant that the games would likely last a little longer than the ones the year before. The thick forests surrounding the cornucopia would serve as crucial hiding places for some of the more clever tributes, and so it quickly became a game of hide-n-seek, with the weaker tributes hiding from the stronger ones.

However, Randy Ferris and his partner were unfazed, and went on the prowl. Despite this, they were not the only ones hunting. District 11's Lucy Takamatzu swung through the trees, managing to outdo the girl from '7 in this regard, killing her on Day 2. These games were not terribly fast-paced, but tributes stayed on their toes.

The remainder of the games was a slow but intriguing game of elimination as the remaining tributes tried to outsmart each other. Randy was not only strong, but he was also smart, despite being slightly out of his element in these woods. Gradually, the others were eliminated until it was just him and the elusive but deadly Lucy Takamatzu from District 11. Well, he was fairly confident that he, a trained fighter, would be able to stomp a kid from a poor and starving district. His disadvantage came from the fact that she was very familiar with these trees, and with being able to survive without food.

In fine, poor Randy never even saw it coming. During the 6th and final night of the games, Lucy dropped from a tree, bludgeoning Randy's skull in with a warhammer, and then rolling into a crouched position as if poisoning to attack again. However, she was announced as the victor, having outlived 23 other tributes, as the rules dictated. Lucy Takamatzu was the 1st victor from District 11—and the 2nd victor of the Hunger Games.

Despite being so calm and collected in the 'games, Lucy was uneasy around trees after that. She'd always be looking up whenever she wandered through the orchards, as if she was worried that someone would drop on top of her the way she had done to that boy. No one else really understood her logic here, and she never bothered to explain. No one but Fukaya of District 5 knew what she had been through, and thus, the next time they met in the Capitol as mentors, they swiftly began friends.

And so began the trend of "Victor Culture". It was the closest thing to District Unity that the districts of Panem ever achieved, since these victors were the only ones who ever got to see all 12 districts other than some Capitol officials. However, while Lucy and Fukaya had done their time, they were aware that there would be many others who followed in their footsteps…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)


	3. The 3rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _With each passing games, the Capitol learns what it should and should not do in order to provide a great show. In some cases, it's just a matter of mixing things up, which is why they've realized that changing the arena designs might be a good idea. _  
_Happy reading!_

* * *

**The 3rd Annual Hunger Games**

More organization began to take form by the time the 3rd Annual Hunger Games rolled around. By this point, District 1 had taken after the example of its similarly wealthy neighbor, District 2, and they had a small training academy to attempt to produce more competent tributes. Thus, the career tribute pool expanded from just District 2 to Districts 1 and 2. The strategies and tricks that modern careers know had not yet been defined, but the foundations had been laid, and this element of Hunger Games culture was rooting itself in rather firmly. "Career Tributes" were almost certainly here to stay.

The Hunger Games were still far too new for other tributes to really consider them much more of a threat than any other strong tribute or alliance however. If there was anyone that could serve as a thorn in District 1 or 2's side, it was District 12 and District 11, with their cunning survival skills, and the latter having already produced a victor, who could then mentor her tributes for years to come and try to give them tricks and strategies to help them survive for even longer.

But also, there was District 3 to worry about. What they lacked in physical prowess, they made up for in smarts and cunning. The last couple of years, they had not fared so well, but the pair this year seemed particularly promising, if their high training scores and skills at trap-building were anything to go by. Much like the previous year, there weren't any particularly noteworthy scores like 11s or 12s, but even seeing 9s and 10s at a time like this was considered pretty impressive. The tributes from District 2 that trained in their little academies did perform better than their "untrained" counterparts, and their comrades from District 1 nearly matched their scores this year as well. However, the scores were just numbers, and time would tell whether that translated to something threatening in the arena or not. The landscape of the arena also played an important part, of course. If it favored a tribute who specialized in that landscape, it would undoubtedly give them an edge they wouldn't normally have.

Deciding to part from the tree theme this year, the Gamemakers created a desert-esque arena with small canyons and dry riverbeds. The 12 tributes that survived the bloodbath started to be a bit skeptical about water and where it would come from, since there was no sign of it as they searched far and wide. The first night ended eventlessly, although deep into the darkness of the night, clouds gathered, and rain happened. This was a nice reprieve from the dryness of the morning, and so every tribute filled whatever container they had with this glorious water. They soon caught on that this happened every day. The morning and afternoon would be hot and dry, and the nights would be cool and wet, with monsoonal rains that nearly made the riverbeds into actual rivers again.

However, after a couple days of Hunger Games hide and seek, the Gamemakers twisted things up again. On the 5th night, the rains were torrential, and they flooded the canyons and riverbeds fully. Nearly half a dozen tributes that had set up camp at the bottom of those riverbeds and canyons were wiped out by the torrential floodwaters that congregated there. The survivors were one of the kids from District 11, the four "career tributes", who had all teamed up together and killed most of the tributes themselves, and the District 3 pair, who were elusively hiding in the arena somewhere.

Tallulah Wiley and Naseru Litzak had situated themselves in one of the larger "canyons", with an elaborate contraption set in place almost like a dam. The rains at night were so heavy that it began filling the area behind their "dam" like a lake. It was only a matter before it broke. Naseru and Tallulah had the high ground.

The next couple of days passed, before three cannons were fired: The girl from District 11 had died, taking two of the careers with her. It just left Lucius Dexter from District 1, and the girl from District 2. Naseru and Tallulah felt pretty confident that if they camped out at their trap, that they would be able to stop the careers once they wandered in.

They were only half right. Lucius served as a distraction just long enough to get District 3's attention, while that District 2 girl knifed Tallulah where she sat. Her body plunged into the canyon, and it was in this moment that Naseru knew what had to be done. Spinning around, he threw his partner's killer in with her, to Lucius' surprise, and then he unleashed the river on them. He shot a rock at just the right place, causing the wall to fall apart and unleashing a wall of water on the remaining two career tributes, and thus ending the games. There was a moment where he gazed down at what he had done, a bit shaken that he had just ended their lives so swiftly. Either way, Naseru Litzak had become the 1st victor from District 3—and the 3rd victor of the Hunger Games.

Naseru was always wary of water after that. Even when it rained in the district, he would retreat inside his Victor's Mansion and watch it from the windows of the upper floor, as if fearing that there would be a flash flood or something. He did not retreat and become a hermit, but he was still a slightly elusive fellow. He had occasional nightmare about his friends or family getting shot from the balcony of his house and falling into torrential rivers below, only to wake up in a cold sweat as he realized it was just a dream. The Games had certainly taken their toll on him just as well…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)


	4. The 4th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now District 1 joins '2 as one of the "career districts". Fun fact: This was the first year where these two districts did not even have a reaping, and thus had the Hunger Games culture engrained itself in Panem._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 4th Annual Hunger Games**

By the time the 4th Annual Hunger Games had rolled around, Districts 1 and 2 had become solid in their trend as "career districts", and so this year, the Capitol officials took their chances and did not even host the lottery in either of these districts. This seemed to have been an effective decision, for there were handfuls of kids in both districts that wanted to volunteer. To prevent some of the mayhem that had happened last year, they still organized the kids by gender, and then, starting with the ladies, they made it a race to the stage. The winner would get to serve as their districts tribute representative in the Hunger Games that year.

The boy that year from District 2 was an upright young man who had been working to become a Peacekeeper, and if he had not succeeded in making it to the stage, he would have been ready to take the 20-year commitment that the task required. However, this Tom Sebastian fellow did manage to make it to the stage that year, serving as District 2's male tribute for the 4th Annual Hunger Games.

His partner was already waiting for him at the stage, since the female tribute was still chosen first. This Naisha Szasz was from one of the more "exotic" families of District 2, but that didn't make her any less of a threat. In fact, she and Tom managed to start coordinating together early, and as soon as they got to the training center, they teamed up with District 1 to start planning further tactics. Their District Pride was further motivating them to make sure that they didn't keep getting beaten out by Districts like 5, 11, or 3 anymore. This year, there would almost certainly be a "career victory", and a lot of bets were made on one or both of the tributes from District 2.

On the other hand, these claims didn't really faze Districts 5 or 11 too much, and so the career pack made their first enemies that day. District 3 was also out doing their own thing, and they were easily overlooked as they worked quietly in the trap station.

Also of particular note that year was an 18-year-old District 9 boy who was already an alcoholic. It made sense in theory, since grain could be used and processed into beer, but he was also an aggressive sunuvagun that the others painted a target on right away. When the training scores were received, he actually managed to score as high as the careers, making Naisha a little green with envy. They had trained for these games (which was technically illegal, but District 1 and District 2's loyalty to the Capitol and their contribution to making the Hunger Games stay interesting had most officials turn a blind eye), and didn't want their pride injured by some drunkard boy who hadn't formally trained in his life.

When the games actually began though, he proved that despite going through some crazy withdrawals and possibly even a hangover from the night before, this Benny McLeon managed to not just survive the bloodbath, but off a couple of tributes in the process with a gigantic club he had found. This was totally his kind of arena though, as it was a large field of wheat and grass—almost as if they had quartered off a sector of District 9 to create this arena.

Either way, the remaining tributes decided that this guy was too much of a menace to be allowed to live, and so for a moment, a Hunger Games rarity occurred. Districts 5 and 11 came forward and approached Districts 1 and 2, offering a temporary truce until Benny was eliminated. Naisha and the others agreed to this, and so they went on a hunt for this rogue tribute.

A fight commenced, where Benny managed to take out the girl from District 1 and the boy from District 5, before he was finally offed by Naisha from District 2. There was a brief celebration, before the remaining kids from '5 and '11 turned on the career pack, killing Tom in the process. Angered, and not willing to let the cheap shot go unpunished, Naisha and the boy from District 1 gave chase, where the latter offed one of the kids (the boy) from '11, and Naisha offed his partner and the girl from '5. However, moments after their victory, that District 1 boy walked right into a trap that had been rigged up by District 3, killing him immediately. When they sprung out, however, Naisha managed to do them in fairly quickly, leaving only a few tributes alive.

This whole series of events was later called "the 6th Day Massacre", given that it had happened on day 6 of the games. 9 tributes had died in the opening bloodbath, and another 10 had died during that massacre. Two other tributes had died between these two bloodbaths, and so there were now only three tributes remaining: Naisha, a boy from District 8 who had hidden the entire time, and a girl from District 4. Perhaps luckily for Naisha, that boy and that girl found each other first, and the girl's face appeared in the sky. Naisha stumbled across him later that same evening, and finished him off, becoming the 1st victor from District 2, and the 4th Victor of the games overall.

She paid her price just like all the rest did though. She wasn't able to eat bread or grain for a long time, and even seeing wheat stalks made her uncomfortable. The traps from the mischievous District 3 pair had taken their toll on her, and the swift betrayal from districts 11 and 5 had kept her on edge with trusting people. Either way, she had fulfilled her promise—she had given Panem its first "Career victor".

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)


	5. The 5th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I imagine that the games became more varied and colorful as time went on, with the Capitol learning from experience each time-learning what was a good show and what wasn't. At this point, they are branching out on the types of arenas, and sooner or later they'll become more creative with traps, mutts, or other hazards to make the tributes do a bit of thinking instead of just fighting or running._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 5th Annual Hunger Games**

Another developing trend in the games were the concept of "Sister Districts", which had almost solidified by the time of the 5th Annual Hunger Games. The twelve districts of Panem began to sort of pair off, with pairs of similar-minded districts starting to look to each other for potential allies. District 1 and District 2 were the most prominent of these, followed by District 11 and District 12. In between them, District 3 and District 5 often paired up, as did District 4 and District 7, District 6 and District 8, and District 10 and District 9.

District 1's Jade Prima and Astra Sentak, however, did not care about all that fancy talk. Their 'sister district' had produced a victor last year, and so now they felt it was their turn. Thus, when Reaping Day came, they fought their fellow district members to the stage, with Astra even knocking two other girls out on her way there. This aggressive behavior continued into the training center, where they managed to intimidate several tributes, including almost all of the kids from Districts 9-12. However, District 11 was unfazed, perhaps from having an intelligent mentor to help give them tricks and tips on how to stay alive. They were wary of these bloodthirsty careers, and were more worried about them than about District 2 even. However, time would tell how dangerous or not they were.

Like the previous years, training scores gave the betters in the Capitol a decent idea on who to put their money on, with the stronger career tributes from Districts 1 and 2 scoring higher than most of the others. District 4 also scored pretty high, and the smarts from the District 3 kids also helped elevate their scores. training scores were based on a combination of strength, smarts, and skills, and none of the tributes knew exactly what the Gamemakers looked for (maybe it changed every year based on what the arena was like), and so they simply tried to leave an impression before they were shipped off to the arena, whatever it may be.

District 4 was fairly excited about this year's arena, for even their faces lit up as they saw it unfold in front of them—it seemed to be a tropical island of some sort. The tributes and the cornucopia were surrounded by dense foliage, but the sound of seagulls could be heard overhead, and the distant noise of waves lapping against the beach could be heard.

The boy, Spike, was particularly stoked. Being from District 4, he was a natural swimmer, and beachfront terrain was his native element. He would be a dangerous fighter for sure.

Naturally, after the countdown, the beautiful beaches were stained with the blood and bodies of boys and girls who had fallen in the cornucopia bloodbath. Spike and his partner teamed up and started hunting down tributes just as the careers did. It almost made Districts 1 and 2 contemplate what District 4 would be like as a 'career' district, but obviously that would have to be something they decided on themselves. It wasn't like tributes from District 2 could go over and build training centers in District 4.

Oddly enough, the weather patterns were different from the other years. Instead of calm mornings and stormy nights, it was the opposite. It poured torrentially during the day, but usually cleared up by the evening, allowing tributes to move around again and cut each other down. Only Spike seemed bold enough to want to traverse the rain—not even his district partner wanted any part of this.

It was only after he wiped out the District 2 pair during the night that this boy finally met his end. Astra intercepted his trident, pivoting around so fast that she impaled the boy on the spot. Spike's partner was still out there, but both of the kids from District 1 knew that she was much less dangerous, and so every night from then to the end of the games, they took the offensive, picking off kids one by one while hardly taking any significant injuries themselves. Soon enough, it was just Jade and Astra—this would mark the first time that a tribute had had to turn on his or her partner. Since the two tributes were the last ones standing, they had to turn on each other. Perhaps there may have been drama of some sort if they were form other districts, but the career mentality was already deeply engrained in them, and so they fought each other through the storm and the rain until Jade overpowered Astra and brought the 5th Annual Hunger Games to an end as he impaled her with a makeshift spear. Shortly after her death, he knelt next to her and simply whispered "I'm sorry…"  
Jade Prima had become the 1st victor from District 1, and the 5th victor of the Hunger Games.

While he didn't originally make much of the incident, he didn't exactly feel proud of having to kill a girl he had trained with and then fought alongside. He had simply done what he had had to, in order to crawl out of the games as a survivor—nay, a victor.

On the other hand, he had also paid his price. He was wary about making friends, fearing that there might come a time where he would be forced to kill them, even if his sojourn in the Hunger Games was never going to have to be repeated. Sometimes, things shook a victor's mind so harshly that they could not exactly just recover from it. Perhaps Jade was one of those cases…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)


	6. The 6th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **_These first few games start off a little slow until the Capitol starts getting the hang of what they want to do, and perhaps more for the readers, it's slow until we start seeing familiar faces. In that case, I would advise those reading to watch for Chapters 9 and 13, where we will meet Mags and Woof, or perhaps who the mysterious victor of the infamous 1st Quarter Quell was. From there... familiar faces will emerge as the numbers get higher. Not to say that there won't be excitement before then. No, there should be plenty of that, and thus I'll do my best to deliver.  
That said... Happy Reading! _

* * *

**The 6th Annual Hunger Games**

The Capitol decided to try something new for the 6th Annual Hunger Games. Instead of providing any food at the cornucopia, they simply provided weapons and a few supplies. That was one of the near-constants of the Hunger Games that was not likely to change any time soon. There would always be weapons of some kind at the cornucopia, especially now that the bloodbath had become a thing. As entertaining as it might have theoretically been for the Capitol to watch a kid kill another tribute with his or her bare hands, it would get a bit boring if that was the only way kids ever died.

But instead of providing food like in normal conditions (those kids from District 11 and 12 were a wily bunch, and would most likely win), there was a bit of know-how required to stay alive this year. In this jungle environment there lived various Capitol mutts that would tear tributes apart if they were not careful, and plenty of the flora was poisonous as well.

However, it was also heavily forested, which meant that Cedar Hardin from District 7 was going to wreak havoc on the arena. During training, his partner Lisa ended up defecting over to the career pack, which otherwise just consisted of District 1 and District 2: Thus, the career pack that year were Susan and Peter from District 1, Flax from District 7, and Lucy and Aaron from District 2. They were all fairly confident that they would be the dominating force in the arena, and the five of them did end up scoring highest in training once all was said and done.

Cedar scored high, but maybe that was all show and no go, for once the games began, he beelined away from the cornucopia and into the jungle without second thought. Clearly he was the type to flee rather than fight. It did not stop the careers though, and so they went on a rampage through the arena, starting the trend of the careers not just teaming up, but of them going after the weaker tributes first before turning on themselves for last.

However, that did not go as planned. About 6 days in, they woke up to find Flax with an axe through her chest, without a sign of who had done it. Those in the Capitol knew who it was and found it intriguing that he would go for his own partner first.

Aaron, Lucy, Susan, and Peter were not deterred though. A Rather resilient pair of District 11 tributes gave them a bit of trouble, but they weren't the main concern of the careers—the real concern were the giant monsters that were unleashed and nearly killed them. Aaron suffered an injury before the mutts were stopped, and two more cannons went off that night, probably from the monsters.

However, Aaron had succumbed to his injuries by the next morning, or so the others thought. Lucy was a little more observant than that though, and realized that someone had poisoned his wounds during the night. There was that District 11 girl, that District 7 boy, or one of the kids from District 3, but that didn't seem likely. They began to whittle down the suspects, and soon linked it to Cedar. However, he was not done with the careers either. He purposely lured one of the giant dog mutts towards the career pack's camp, where it stopped following him and aimed for them. Peter and Susan didn't make it out of that mayhem alive. Meanwhile, Cedar, the opportunist that he was, used this chance to lodge an axe into the monster's neck, killing it and thus sparing Lucy for the time being. He did not think that he would be returned the favor.

It was day 9 before Lucy and Cedar met again, this time as final rivals, with all 22 of the other tributes dead. It became a battle of axes, for Lucy's weapon of choice was an axe. She was fairly certain that she could become the 2nd Lucy to win a Hunger Games (the other being District 11's Lucy Takamatzu from the 2nd Hunger Games), while Cedar was aiming to give District 7 a victor for the first time. Their axes collided, both tributes showing great strength as they not only battled each other, but also as they battled through the jungle, avoiding poisonous traps and obstacles that could cause them to lose their footing. It came down to the wire, but then Cedar suddenly threw his axe with such vicious force that Lucy actually braced herself to block—but instead of hitting her, it struck the branch above her, which in turn came and crushed her before she could react. Just as suddenly as it had happened, the games had ended. Cedar was the 1st victor from District 7, and the 6th Victor of the Hunger Games.

He lived a fairly solitary life afterwards, not exactly trusting many people given that he had turned around and backstabbed the same people that had tried to backstab him, but in his eyes, that was simply justice. "Eye for an eye" was one of Cedar's lifestyles and ways of thinking, thanks to the 'games.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)


	7. The 7th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _We finally catch our glimpse of another trend that developed a little later into the early games-sponsor gifts. We'll surely see many more of these as the games progress, but these really early games are still a bit different, since all of the tributes in them were old enough to be alive before the 'games. In the meantime, we also meet our first wild tribute, a trend that will definitely only get more prominent as the games go on. The more savvy the tributes become with the games, the stronger and more dangerous they will become.  
This will also not be the only time a tribute gets a nickname. These will ultimately be pretty rare, but they will happen. Similarly, sometime in the future, you may see another boy or girl with a name we've seen before. This is natural, since it happens in the real world all the time. Don't worry too much about it._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 7th Annual Hunger Games**

Seven years into the games, and half of the districts now had a victor. It was only a matter of time before one of them produced another victor. It was theoretically a 50-50 chance, except that some districts had stronger tributes than others, and Districts like 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11—which usually produced some of the most proficient tributes, had also produced victors in the last 6 Hunger Games. Now the 7th Annual Hunger Games was upon them, and the districts were all vying to produce a victor.

Naturally, with Districts 1 and 2 training their tributes, they expected another easy win sooner or later. They might not have been able to win every year, but they could keep the space between victories as small as possible.

District 1 produced powerful tributes by the name of Marco Wainright and the oddly named Fame DeLaRosa, while District 2 produced a volunteer boy named Alvin, and a rather aggressive looking girl named Emily, who, in the training center, quickly got nicknamed 'Scar' for a rather wicked marking spanning across her left eye.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, this girl scored a 12, becoming the first person to ever do so. The tributes were improving their skills, but even the careers usually mostly just scored 9s or 10s, with only one or two 11s recorded so far in the first 6 'games.

The bloodbath was mostly Scar (Emily) massacring the other tributes, including the kids from District 3 and District 4, whom the others had suspected might be decent ally material otherwise. But, just like the games and the tributes were changing, so were the arenas. This year would be different.

It was a colder climate this year, much like a tundra. The cornucopia of course, was littered with supplies and things that the tributes might use to keep themselves, warm, and so even the resilient kids from District 11 and District 9 had trouble this year, since they were used to living in warm enough temperatures to allow plants and crops to grow.

One tribute that did give the career pack some trouble this year though was a certain Susan Jackman from District 5. Somehow, she had managed to construct a device that she attached to her back that kept her warm, and so she was able to breeze through the snowy landscape with relative ease, not worrying much about the cold.

She waited it out, which became problematic for the careers. Their cornucopia supplies were dwindling, and so were the number of other tributes they had left to kill. Perhaps out of boredom or bloodlust or whatever else, Scar turned on her companions, tearing Marco apart before the others could react. They managed to injure her somewhat, but she had managed to kill off her own partner and then finish off Fame, before gathering what was left of the warm supplies and trudging out into the desolate tundra to scout out the remaining two tributes, of which Susan was one.

Incidentally, it was Susan's partner who was the remaining tribute, which put the odds of District 5 producing another victor still fairly high in the air. However, he had the misfortune of being Emily's first target instead of Susan, and so he was viciously killed and his supplies taken—which included an odd heating device that was clearly not made in the arena. This had been the first sponsor gift. Capitol citizens could bet on the tributes, and also invest in them. If a certain tribute appealed to the masses, Capitol citizens (and even mentors, to an extent) could purchase "gifts" to send to the tributes to try and tilt the odds in their favor. Such had been what had happened to that District 5 boy, even if he had not made it to the victor's throne.

However, it also meant that Emily was now very warm, and so she managed to recover as she hunted Susan—who was also hunting the scar-faced girl down.

However, Susan was cleverer than she looked. Not only had she built a heating device that had kept her alive and warm so far, but she had also managed to construct some sort of electrical contraption that she had weaponized. Thus, when the encounter with Emily finally came on Day 10, Susan struck quickly, and finally brought the vicious girl down in a blaze of glory, ending the games, with nothing more than a cut on her left eye to signify her fight. Susan had become the 2nd victor from District 5, and the 7th Victor of the Hunger Games.

Susan never underestimated the power and use of a warm outfit after that, although she was also never terribly fond of autumn or winter after her games, even the milder ones that District 5 often got. She never forgot about Emily either—she kept that scar on her eye as a reminder of the games—and how she believed they should never be forgotten…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)


	8. The 8th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I imagine that some years the Capitol leaves plenty of building materials in the arena with which the tributes can work and sometimes create rather interesting contraptions. This is one of those times. Also, sponsor gifts remain a thing, and betting on the tributes is part of Hunger Games culture now. Crazy tributes will start becoming more and more common.  
Of course, there are different definitions of crazy, and so while some might be wild or ferocious, others might be fierce or even in some rare cases, downright feral. Never underestimate the mind of someone put into a desperate situation._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 8th Annual Hunger Games**

With all of these rural and outdoor environments, tributes from some of the urban districts such as 6, 8, or even 3 started to feel like they were at something of a disadvantage here. Perhaps they were. Advantages and disadvantages were very real things, which was why tributes from more survival-oriented districts seemed to be doing fairly well.

But the 8th Annual Hunger Games was going to be something different. The arena was located on a large, mountainlike plateau, and was chock-full of old, overgrown ruins. Perhaps the most interesting thing about them was that this year there was plenty of building materials lying around as well. Despite the clearly man-made ruins, the place still didn't seem terribly urban, and so as the tributes rose from their pedestals, even Districts 11 and 12 looked ready to go.

The boy from District 12 that year, Corey Deal, seemed to be a promising candidate for the victor's crown. Coming from a hardworking mining family, he proved that using a pickaxe could translate fairly well into using an actual axe—which he demonstrated on a District 10 boy in the bloodbath.

Similar to other recent years, the career pack from Districts 1 and 2 formed quickly, and tried to seize control of the cornucopia. This year they were led by a fellow named Saul from District 2.

However, Saul, Corey, and their alliances weren't the only threats this year. Lisa Barkley from District 5 and Robin Titania from District 11 were a formidable force that year, and would be a reminder that the female tributes shouldn't be counted out just yet. Alliances this year were different and sporadic, but the tributes still bonded and kept allegiances for much of the game (or rather, much of the tribute's life).

While the career pack navigated through the ruins to hunt down the other tributes, a District 6 boy named Malcolm Reed found himself a remote corner of the arena lodged between some of the still-standing ruins, and essentially anchored himself down there and got to work building something. Lisa had the same mindset (albeit in a different part of the arena), and started constructing an elaborate little weapon using cornucopia supplies and building materials found in the arena.

She helped ensure that the trend of sponsoring tributes would continue, for some of the citizens from her district ended up sponsoring her certain electrical parts for the device she was building. There was a popular rumor starting to buzz around the Capitol that District 5 would be one of the most successful districts in the Hunger Games. So far they were right—2 of the 7 victors were from there, while 6 districts had still never won.

Soon, the careers had gone from being the hunters to being the hunted. Lisa ended up nearly backstabbing Robin by 'testing' the device on her. It stunned her, which proved to Lisa that it worked. She was merciful, however, before she turned up the power and went on the prowl. Lisa began hunting down the career pack with her newly made electrical weapon. The Capitol found this gizmo rather interesting, and so more sponsor gifts started flowing.

They also began flowing to Malcolm in his little corner of the arena, where he seemed to be putting together a rather elaborate trap. Luckily for him, Saul's group was too busy being chased down by Lisa, and so he was left alone for the most part.

Halfway through the 2nd week (about Day 9 or 10), Lisa had finally killed Saul, as well as his allies. Just when she thought it was safe to rest though, Robin came out of nowhere, landing on top of her with a handaxe that went through the District 5 girl's skull. She smirked, muttering something about karma and backstabbing, before lifting up Lisa's weapon and going on the prowl herself.

She nearly walked into Malcolm's trap before she realized that it was there. Firing Lisa's electrical weapon, she set off the trap nearly like a bomb, which essentially blew the ruins apart, and Malcolm with it. The boy landed only a few meters away from Robin, a large metal shield in his hands. Robin continued shooting and trying to attack him, but the injured boy seemed to be using his shield to absorb the electricity. How he was grounding it was anyone's guess.

The finish was almost anticlimactic by contrast, however. Robin fired the weapon one last time, right as Malcolm hurled his shield almost like a Frisbee.

The result was Malcolm on all fours, barely avoiding the attack, and Robin on her back with a metal shield sticking out of her chest. The final cannon rang out, signaling the end of the games. Malcolm was the 1st victor from District 6, and the 8th Victor of the Hunger Games.

Malcolm always took extra special caution whenever there was a lightning storm, and even after his victory, he enjoyed being alone in his little corner, building things just as he had been in the arena. He was definitely an introvert—much more so than before, but luckily, he appeared to be one of the stabler victors… for the time being…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)


	9. The 9th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Enter Mags Cohen, the first canon character to appear in this fanfic series. Obviously we don't know much of what happened that year, but we know that she lived off of nuts and could make fishhooks out of anything. With those little thoughts in mind, here is how I imagined her games to have played out. It's a little longer than the usual chapters, given that it was particularly fun to write. Also... our first actual dialogue snippets!_  
_But I've rambled enough. Obviously we all know who's going to win this one given the name that appears, but still... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 9th Annual Hunger Games**

More and more victors were emerging from different districts, and so it was only a matter of time before another district gained another victor, apart from District 5. While District 1 and District 2 continued to perform fairly well and kept consistently posing a threat, District 3 and District 5 were also proving to be dangerous, through their wit and cunning.

On the other hand, another rising star by the time of the 9th Annual Hunger Games was District 4. With an increase of fishing practices, the tributes that year proved to be wickedly adept with spears and harpoons, to the point where the career tributes from Districts 1 and 2 offered both Argus McCoy and Mags Cohen positions in the career alliance that year. Both of them graciously accepted, having proven that they were strong, smart, and physically fit.

The arena this year was another desert-style locale, and so water was scarce. The careers anticipated that District 4 would not last long being so out of their element, but that was where they were fortunately wrong. In fact, they managed to wreak havoc in the bloodbath themselves.

The tributes from Districts 8, 9, 10, and 12 lost their lives in the bloodbath, as did the girl from '7 and the boy from '11. They soon perished as well, as did District 6, although the latter seemed to be more from withdrawals rather than starvation or thirst.

The alliances were precarious this year. On one hand, Mags and Argus both knew that this years' career leader, Romulus Bartok from District 1, was going to try and backstab District 4 before backstabbing District 2, and so they needed a plan. Besides, District 3's Ferra Callen had an alliance of her own, which included her partner Derek, and the tributes from District 5.

The desert landscape provided the tributes with a lot of interesting things, one of them being ample amounts of metal scraps and wooden brambles, some of which produced edible nuts. The District 2 pair (Saitou and Katara), who were somewhat familiar with a desert environment in parts of their district, knew how to handle and consume the ample cacti that flourished in the arena, and Mags even managed to make a rather intricate weapon using brambles, cacti needles, and a few bits of metal. The weapon in question resembled a cat-o'-nine-tails, except at the end of each 'tail' was a massive hook, almost like an oversized fishhook. She kept this tool a secret from the others, and otherwise bided her time with the careers until more tributes were eliminated.

Gradually, they wore down the enemy alliance, eliminating District 5, but District 3 continued to elude them. They seemed to know their way around rocks and brambles fairly well.

On the evening of the 8th day, Argus turned to Mags, since the two of them were on watch duty at the moment, and had a conversation about their situation.

"There are only 8 of us left," he warned, "If those kids from '3 drop, then guess who Romulus'll kick from the pack next?"  
"So we need to make a run for it," Mags suggested, "since I don't imagine they'd spare us if they saw us trying to break away on our own terms here."

"You wanna do it tonight?" Argus whispered,

"I'm down if you are," Mags stretched her legs and cracked her knuckles, "just keep your weapons close. The danger zone is pretty large for an operation like this."

It would be a risky operation indeed, for Districts 1 and 2 never took kindly to being betrayed until it was just them turning on each other. If they were caught running, surely Romulus or his partner Amber would catch up to them and slaughter them on the spot. If Saitou woke up, they would be knifed in the back by the boy's throwing knives; and if Katara woke up, it'd be an arrow in the skull. It was high-risk, low reward, for sure. Such was the nature of many tricks and stunts in the Hunger Games.

Argus and Mags made a break for it, although in the darkness, one of them crunched on some brambles, which alerted Amber, who was the swift one of the group. She was quickly gaining on them, reaching Argus first and cutting him down. In this moment, Mags spun around, whipping out her spiked, hooked weapon, and lashing it like a whip. The hooks latched onto parts of Amber's face, neck, and shoulder, and she yanked it sharply back towards her, which caused the hooks to tear into the District 1 girl's flesh, including nearly cutting her throat out. She recoiled, and Mags struck with the knife that she had been using for most of the games to finish her off. Two cannons went off, and then three more followed later that morning. Later on Evening 9, Mags watched the faces in the sky, and saw Amber, Argus, Saitou, Katara, and Derek's names show up. That meant it was just her, Ferra, and Romulus left. She wondered who she would meet first.

The wait was longer than she thought. Day 10 was eventless, and Day 11 was similar. Sometime around midnight though, another cannon fired, and so as Day 12 drew to a close, Mags saw, to her surprise, Romulus' face. Somehow Ferra had done him in. Had he died on day 11 or day 12? Mags wasn't sure. It was probably one of those deaths that had toed the line around midnight. Either way, she clutched her cat-o'-nine-tails tighter, and migrated towards the cornucopia. She would bring that District 3 girl to her.

As if to build up for a finale, the rain started, and that was exactly what the just-barely-15-year-old Mags Cohen needed to revitalize herself. She popped the remaining nuts from her bag into her mouth, and cracked her knuckles. She too was fairly certain that this fight would end here.

Sure enough, the girl soon appeared as a silhouette in the rain, before she lunged at Mags, who evaded the attack. They continued blocking and evading for what seemed like hours before Ferra lunged, and Mags struck her with her whip. Ferra cried out, but not before slashing Mag's right arm lengthwise, virtually disabling it on the spot. Megs was not left-handed, and so this changed her playstyle significantly—for the better, no less.

The difference in Mags' behavior proved to be enough to throw Ferra off for just long enough for Mag's whip to wrap around (and lacerate) Ferra's knife-arm, before she yanked it forward and thus pulled her to the ground. Once she was knocked down, Ferra knew her life was over, and Mags helped prove that theory seconds later, and thus ended the games. Mags became the 1st victor from District 4, and the 9th victor of the Hunger Games.

Despite her antics in the arena, Mags remained cool and level-headed, like most of District 4. She continued to share her talent of being able to make fishhooks out of anything, although she would not share the secrets of how she had kept that bramble-whip of hers together. However, even though she practically lived off of them in the arena, she was—and is still to this day—very fond of nuts.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)


	10. The 10th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Happy Holidays... since that's where I was. Anyhoo, now we're pretty much back (there might be a sight delay because of New Years, but I digress) and so the stories will continue. Here's a decade-anniversary story for us, and where the Gamemakers learn a few more things. It's only been 10 years, and this early into the fledgling program I still imagine that they're learning the do's and dont's of an interesting game. Obviously it won't ever be popular with most of the districts, but we all know how little that concerns the Capitol.  
Also, some folks might have heard one of the prominent highlights of this game from Katniss before. Maybe; maybe not..._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 10th Annual Hunger Games**

10 years… it had been 10 years since these sadistic Hunger Games had been instigated, and they did not show any signs of slowing down. The Capitol seemed to enjoy each one more than the last, and seemed to have liked the bloody deaths from last years' games. Surely the Gamemakers would continue to think of ways to make more incidents like that of Mags Cohen occur more often.

Perhaps as a throwback to the very first games, the 10th Annual Hunger Games arena was fairly simple in nature, with grassy plains and a few trees dotting the landscape. Cornucopia supplies were also radically different than anything the tributes had ever seen thus far (which might not have said a lot, but there were still 9 other games to look at for reference). Instead of the usual supplies, there was simply a large collection of weird shaped maces and clubs. Despite their cruelty, however, the Capitol was not about to let the tributes starve when there was so many other much more exciting ways to kill them—but it would require a bit of wit and cunning in order to live off the land.

The primary survivors of the bloodbath were the kids from Districts 11 and 12, who had teamed up, utilizing their strength that they had gained form their various lines of work—and the tributes from Districts 1 and 2, being the "career districts", and thus being trained in the art of combat and endurance back in their home districts already. A few other tributes also escaped from the bloodbath, but it was clear who the bets were on as the primary contenders.

However, that night something interesting and unexpected happened. The sun went down as usual, and the dead tributes' faces showed up in the sky (11 had died that morning). The next morning though, the sun didn't rise. The temperature rose slightly as if the sun was shining, but the night sky from the previous evening lingered, as did the accompanying darkness. These would be night games. Perhaps this explained why the arena had so much open space—it was trickier to spot tributes in the dark.

The cornucopia was not a very strategic point this year given that the supplies were just the otherwise useless maces since the tributes had since armed themselves with the best ones, or gotten sponsor gifts by the time day 2 rolled around.

All but one of the careers this year suffered from a bit of hubris and overconfidence, and as the games wore on, it wound up costing them—the tributes from District 2 as well as the girl from District 1 ended up falling by day 5, one by one. The assailants were the tributes from '11 and '12, who were used to the dark: District 11 because of their long hours that extended into the late evening, and District 12 from being deep in the earth mining coal and other metals.

Only Faren Dragmire, the boy from District 1, survived these ambushes, because he managed to keep a level head and remind Panem that not all of District 1 was arrogant or ditzy or full of themselves. Either way, this year was almost an inverse of what normally happened—instead of the career alliance dominating the arena, it was the tributes from Districts 11 and 12 that swept the others from before them, with Faren being one of the only ones to escape their sights. His first proper encounter with this alliance resulted in a club fight between him and the boy from District 12, who he managed to do in with a mace to the head. It was in this moment that Faren took control of the arena, so to speak, and lured the remaining tributes after him. One by one, he eliminated them, first by taking out the boy from District 11, and then the two girls shortly afterwards.

The only other tribute that had escaped '11 and '12's sights was Robert Orion, a boy from District 5, who appeared to have been spending most of the time building an elaborate contraption in the dark. When Faren finally encountered him, he let it loose—it was a prototype lightning machine that shot real electricity at his District 1 enemy. Feren found himself dodging electrical currents, and briefly wondered where they had come from. Perhaps it was from the arena itself. Luckily for him, the currents were easy to predict—because they were very hard to dodge. One nearly grazed his arm, but armed with one of the wickedest-looking maces that the cornucopia had had to offer, he eventually reached Robert and managed to end him and his machine. Feren Dragmire was now the 2nd victor from District 1, and the 10th victor of the Hunger Games.

He became quite the diurnal creature after his games, given that they had been plunged into eternal darkness with only the moon and stars to light the way. Similarly, he had a particular aversion to electricity, although the reason for that was fairly obvious…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)


	11. The 11th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _After a long hiatus with this story, I finally return. Hopefully the next few chapters aren't too slow-soon we'll venture back into familiar territory, and as the Capitol learns more tricks, the games will get more exciting. Not to say that these games aren't exciting-there is a unique twist that ties the 11th and 12th Hunger Games together that might be interesting to see. But... no spoilers. The chapter is up anyways, so it shouldn't be a problem._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 11th Annual Hunger Games**

The 11th Annual Hunger Games would be seen as an oddity in the years to come, but at the moment, it was just another unassuming arena with two dozen tributes being forced to kill each other.

Two brothers from District 2, Maius and Iunius Karuha, vied for the position of male tribute for their district that year. The younger of the two, Maius, ended up reaching the stage first, and at 17, his odds of winning were fairly high.

A district away, a certain Dane Zelker was also vying for the throne from District 1. Despite that competition, he and his partner Elissa allied themselves with Maius and his partner Carmen. All of them scored high, although it seemed that the career pack would go unthreatened this year. Swords and axes were the career pack's specialty this year, with Dane and Elissa specializing in the former, and Maius and Carmen specializing in the latter.

They were mostly right regarding their 'invincibility', for there were no other prominent alliances that year, not even from Districts 11 and 12, both of whom seemed to have produced tributes on the smaller and weaker side than usual.

When the bloodbath came, however, all four of them sans the boy from District 11 managed to escape alive and unhurt (the aforementioned boy was injured, but alive), although given the rocky nature of the arena, the career tributes were fairly certain that these outliers would not last long.

Unlike several of the older rocky arenas, this one had plenty of water, and little creeks flowing at the bottom of the steep, cramped canyons and the narrow valleys. The tributes did not suspect that there would be any flooding this time. All of the good stuff and food were in these crevices, while the "overworld" was barren and desolate.

It rained a few times in the arena, particularly during days 3 and 4, and then again on days 7 and 8, but the day/night cycle of the arena seemed otherwise normal, unlike the year before.

By day 9, only Elissa had been killed from the career pack, and there were only three other tributes left: Marty Jimson from District 12, Sagittaria Silverhand from District 6, and Celia Northwood from District 7.

Unlike Maius, however, Carmen and Dane did not have any other siblings vying for a chance at the Hunger Games, and so while the oddity of the 11th Annual Hunger Games was still widely remembered for years afterwards, it was not inherently odd by itself—only when compared to the 12th Annual Hunger Games did it really stick out.

Whatever the case, Maius and Carmen wound up splitting up from Dane to go after Marty—but in truth, they were simply giving the District 1 boy the slip. Later that night, Carmen slipped back the direction they came, and she put an end to the career boy in his sleep. When she met back up with Maius, she found him standing over the corpse of the District 12 boy Marty, which meant that only Sagittaria, Celia, and the District 2 pair remained in the games.

As day 13 continued on, more clouds filled the sky and rain began to fall. It was fairly steady, but Maius and Carmen were now fully convinced that there would be no flooding, given that they were walking at the bottom of one of the narrow canyons, following a stream so that they could hopefully find the remaining two tributes.

They camped by the side of a large lake, which appeared to be where the rivers and streams all led, for the rocky canyons seemed to all be north of them at this point. A shimmer on the opposite coast of the lake was a subtle indicator that the forcefield was nearby, although none of the tributes knew that—to them it almost seemed like a gas of sorts, and so was something to not get too close to.

The final showdown wound up being fairly generic, as most of the games had been. Maius and Carmen had no trouble taking down Celia and Sagittaria, before they turned on each other. Axe clashed against axe as sparks flew from striking steel. However, as time wore on, Maius began to overpower Carmen, before finally cutting her down and being crowned the victor.

Maius was not terribly traumatized like many other victors before him, although he was a bit weirded out after watching the 12th Annual Hunger Games the following year. On the other hand, it did not stop him from relishing his victory—being the 2nd victor from District 2, and the 11th victor of the Hunger Games. To him, the Hunger Games were simply business—he did not revel in his murders like some bloodthirsty tributes might have; he simply did what he had to in order to survive and, by extension, to win. Such a mindset became particularly common in District 2 after his victory, and Maius was more than happy to simply embrace it…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)


	12. The 12th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter and its predecessor will seem very familiar. The good news is that no, it's not a sign of my lack of creativity—just a little trick I decided the Gamemakers would do. Subsequent chapters will not repeat any zany trends or anything like this either. This is a unique twist that merely binds the 11th and 12th Hunger Games together in an unusual way we won't likely see again soon.  
Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 12th Annual Hunger Games**

The 12th Annual Hunger Games was the reason that the previous year's games were seen as an oddity—and by extension, the opposite rang true as well.

Maius Karuha had won the crown for District 2 the previous year. This year, however, his older brother Iunius, now 18, managed to make it to the tribute stage. His skills were similar to those of his twin brother, and so he knew that his odds were similarly very high.

However, also similar to last year, an ambitious boy named Gabriel from District 1 was eyeing the crown with fervor, and his partner Azalea with right up there as well.

With his twin brother Maius as a mentor (as well as Naisha Szasz from several years ago), he warned them that District 1 might be trouble, but that it was still fully possible to organize the career pack.

And thus, that was exactly what Iunius Karuha and Junichi Lenford wound up doing. Surprisingly, Azalea and Gabriel agreed to form the pack.

Similar to the previous year, there was no real competition, and given the training scores, it looked like it was going be another career victory once again. Even the nature of the tributes seemed to strike people as odd when compared to the games last year, (including the not-too-powerful looking kids from Districts 11 and 12 that would probably manage to escape the bloodbath) but it was the arena layout that had everyone from tributes to mentors to district citizens intrigued.

The arena layout was almost exactly identical to that of the 11th Annual Hunger Games arena, complete with the rocky landscape, the narrow crevices with the creeks and the otherwise barren "overworld".

A few of the more observant tributes, such as Kylene and Tomas from District 3, decided to check around the place after they escaped the bloodbath unharmed. The stones that had been turned in the previous arena were unturned in this one, which led many to believe that this was not in fact the Capitol reusing the 11th arena like they suspected—but simply that the 12th arena was an exact replica of it.

Taking after the idea of his brother Maius, Iunius did the exact same thing that he did, and took an offensive as they worked to flush out the other tributes.

Even the rain patterns were the same as the year before, with rain falling during days 3 and 4, stopping for days 5 and 6, and then resuming during days 7 and 8.

This time, however, it was the boy from District 1 that died on day 9 instead of the girl, as Gabriel met his match in the form of Kylene, one of the rogues from District 3.

Unlike the previous year though, this time it was the District 3 pair, as well as Nala, the girl from District 11—that served as the final tributes against the three remaining careers, and it was them this time that made it to the lake where the forcefield was. They still didn't know what it was (Tomas and Kylene had a few theories, but nothing set in stone), but they had secured the vantage point that year for the arena.

Unlike the previous year, the District 2 pair did not backstab their District 1 ally, and instead the trio started formulating a way to take down the kids from District 3, as well as that District 11 girl. 10 days into the games, and they were down to the final six tributes already.

However, despite their best efforts, Nala, Kylene, and Tomas managed to evade the careers for two more days. It was later into Day 13 that they finally managed to engage in combat.

The District 3 pair were devious, and had developed some sort of electrical machines to charge their weaponry, but it proved to not be enough against Junichi and Iunius, who managed to best them. Azalea and Nala were still duking it out in the meantime, and much to the surprise of many, she managed to best the District 1 girl, striking her down with her mace before booking it, knowing she couldn't take them herself. However, instead of pursuing her, the two careers waited—knowing the Gamemakers would force them together again.

Sure enough, the next morning, Nala was forced back to meet Junichi and Iunius, where the former finished her off, only to get stabbed in the back a moment later by her partner.

Like his brother, Iunius admitted that it was simply business that he would rather end quickly. However, several things happened this year: Iunius became the 3rd victor from District 2 and the 12th victor of the Hunger Games, and had simply done what he needed to in order to survive. The weirdest part was how familiar it was to his brother's games. To Panem, the 11th and 12th Annual Hunger Games seemed like one big déjà vu, which is what made both games go down in history as rather strange indeed…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)


	13. The 13th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Fun fact: Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 also have the exact same word count, both in the Author Notes, and in the story content itself. That aside, here's chapter 13. We're almost to Woof's games (17), but in the meantime, here's a bit of what happens when you put a whole ton of mutts into the games. It's a little longer and more exciting this time around._  
_Happy reading!_

* * *

**The 13th Annual Hunger Games**

Unlike the previous two years, the 13th Annual Hunger Games did not seem like it was going to be a rehash of the rocky, rainy arena with the powerful career tributes. Of course, Districts 1 and 2 would still likely provide a threat like they so often did, but there were no more Karuha brothers like there had been during the 12th and 11th years of the games. The fact that a district had won back-to-back games was amazing in and of itself, but that the two victors had been related was equally incredible.

But the antics of the nefarious Gamemakers were only just beginning.

The outer districts were starting to develop a clear disadvantage, with none of the districts beyond District 7 having produced a single victor except for District 11, which seemed to be equipped for strength and survival—something most of the others couldn't boast.

Training scores were just numbers, as many people accepted and acknowledged, but they and the odds that the Capitol gave to each tribute could say a lot about who got sponsored and who didn't. In most cases, tributes were simply sponsored cool weapons or sometimes food or medical supplies, depending on the situation. However, if this year's training scores were anything to go by, it seemed that one of the richer districts would win again. The outer districts such as 10, 11, and 12 merely had average scores that year, while the careers had scored high, even if no one got higher than a 10 that year.

Unlike the last two years, this arena was a rainforest teeming with creatures, many of them deadly, aggressive, poisonous, or some combination of the above. Many of them were Capitol mutts, meaning that this year's tributes would have quite the challenge in this arena.

The first three days only saw 13 tributes die, 11 of which were in the bloodbath, and the other two were on days 2 and 3. Day Four, however, threw a wrench into the system.

First there were swarms of these fiery rodents that wiped out the entire 11-12 alliance that formed over the course of three days, and then right as the tributes thought they would catch a break, a swarm of electrical monkeys came out of nowhere and nearly wiped out the career pack, leaving only District 2's Alder, District 3's Cheren, and District 1's Rosa.

They did manage to destroy the electric monkeys (at least for the time), but they had to fall back and regroup at the cornucopia, where they felt like they would be safe for a while. 8 days in, and then the rain started. Instead of just drizzling, it started to pour. The career pack nestled themselves into the cornucopia in the hopes of waiting out the storm. The mutts that had ravaged many of the tributes had only left a small handful alive, and so even on the 8th day, there were only 8 tributes left. By the end of the day, that number had dropped down to 7 as a cannon went off in the wilderness.

"So who do we have left?" Rosa turned to Alder, who was acting as the leader of the group, as the career pack settled in for the night. The victim that day had been the girl from District 7.

"Well… there's the three of us, and then there's that Skyla girl from District 6, Hilda White from District 10, and then Jeriel and Tiffany from District 5."

"How'd an outlier get so far into games like these?" Cheren raised an eyebrow, "with all these mutts I'm surprised that the games haven't ended already. Besides, didn't her partner die in the bloodbath?"

"Maybe they are trying to draw it out a little," Alder suggested, "can't have the games over too quickly—and this rain isn't going to do anyone any favors."  
But the rain did not stop—day 9 passed, and so did day 10, where the career pack found themselves face to face with Jeriel and Tiffany, the cunning District 5 pair. Seconds later, Alder, Rosa, and even Cheren found themselves peppered in little darts that pierced through their clothes and skin.

"It's poison!" Cheren exclaimed as Alder nearly clove Jeriel in two, "Get them out!"  
Rosa followed up by lodging a spear cleanly through Tiffany's abdomen, causing two more cannons to go off on the 10th day. Already, the three of them could feel that tingling sensation in each little pinprick that the District 5 pair's darts had inflicted.

Cheren, being the thinnest of the careers, was the first to die, and despite their best efforts, including sponsored medicine, the poison seemed to still be spreading, and Rosa died quietly on day 11.

Alder held out the longest, lasting into day 12 before the poison finally got him. He wandered madly through the rain, before stumbling into Hilda, who was gutting a snake mutt—which had clearly been poisonous. That explained why the poison was so strong. However, he was in no condition to fight, and so he had left her alone before dying a couple hours later.

The next three days were rather peculiar, because the rain did not stop, and there were only two tributes—Skyla and Hilda—that were left alive. Neither one ran into the other, and both of them seemed particularly skilledat evading each other's traps, and anything the Gamemakers tried to pull. Both of them left trails of dead mutts in their wake, and soon it became clear that if anything, they would die of pneumonia before actually keeling over from each other. It was like a game of chess with two queens scampering around the board, waiting for the other to make a blunder.

And on the 15th day, Skyla did just that. She was injured by a rather vicious bear mutt that spewed a burst of cold air at her. Skyla managed to avoid the brunt of the attack, but it froze her right arm almost completely. Since she could not properly amputate it, it simply inhibited Skyla long enough for Hilda to finally come upon her, and do her in, ending the games.

Hilda became the 1st victor from District 10, and the 13th victor of the Hunger Games.

Hilda's victory had come through cunning and a keen knowledge of animals, which had been in abundance that year, despite the rain. It had been Hilda that had allied with the District 5 pair and supplied them with poison, but had only finished building two dartguns by the time Tiffany and Jeriel had wished to strike the career pack. Thus, they had gone in without her, and had paid the price.

Hilda didn't mind the rain despite her games, but she was much less fond of animals after that. However, even much later on, she was still considered one of the more stable victors, despite everything that had happened in the arena…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)


	14. The 14th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _and here we get to see what happens when a clever tribute discovers a consistent 'resource' of the arena and decides to put it to some use. It also gives birth to a certain legacy in at least two of the districts. This one's also a little longer, and I think that we will start seeing more games like this as we get farther in and as the Gamemakers continue to improve on making the games more exciting._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 14th Annual Hunger Games**

The earlier Hunger Games had been fairly exciting all in their own rights, especially with the violent ways some of the tributes had been slain, and the arenas were getting gradually more exotic, but each year the Gamemakers would attempt to outdo themselves the previous year without going too over-the-top. It was a delicate balance, keeping the "charm" of the games intact while also preventing them from becoming dull and repetitive. If the Capitol only cared about the kids slaying each other, they would have kept the same simple, bland sparse forest that had been the 1st arena. That was not enough to satisfy the Gamemakers and the Capitol for very long though, and so they gave birth to more variety as time passed, and continued to improve and enhance the 'games.

While the Hunger Games arenas were always large swathes of land in an outdoor situation, there were occasionally a few that were a little closer to home, or that had a greater sign of civilization to them. The arena of the 14th Annual Hunger Games seemed to be one of them, with the games taking place on a large and beautiful plateau that was surrounded by ore chunks and large stone ruins of a bygone civilization. Districts like '3 and '5 thought they might be able to take advantage of it, although districts that dealt with stone and mountains, such as '12 and '2 also felt like they would have an advantage.

District 1's and Elegys Galaad and Noriko Tatsumi might have had funny-sounding names, but they were also the highest-scoring tributes that year—typical career stock, really.

They and the District 2 pair, Obsidian Ronin and Kumani Ikegami, naturally teamed up before also recruiting, perhaps ironically, the District 11 pair. While they had not scored as high as Elegys or Noriko, Kada Zaltana and Raeya Zhan proved to be strong and cunning, and thus brought the career pack that year up to 6 strong.

When the games actually started though, and after the bloodbath madness had subsided, it did not take long for them to realize that there were all kinds of potential with all the metal and stone lying around. District 3's Feren Salvatore also realized this and got to work on crafting something to try and save his own skin. He had left his partner during the bloodbath, and knew nothing of what had happened to her.

The cornucopia this year was mostly deserted, given that all it really had was weapons and supplies. Food would have to be sought out elsewhere in the arena, and conventional weapons like swords, axes, bows and knives were minimal—instead there were unorthodox weapons like sickles and pickaxes, which might have been another reason why District 11 and 12 were able to thrive.

After four days of hunting tributes and reducing the total number down to 12, (9 of the 12 that were dead had been killed in the bloodbath), the career pack decided to split up, with the boys scouring the east side of the arena, and the girls remaining in the western section. They were still larger than any other alliances, and as such, they were able to hunt down the tributes from District 5 and the boys managed to corner them, finally killing them on day 7.

As the two sets of tributes worked to converge near the southern section of the arena, however, the girls managed to reach the cornucopia before the boys, only to find a most unusual sight—there were large mounds of dirt around all 24 of the pedestals. Kumani turned to Noriko and Raeya and shrugged.

"Any ideas on what happened here?" she asked. None of them were willing to move too much more, in case the place was rigged up somehow.

"No clue," Raeya shrugged, "let's hope the others get here soon. Maybe they can tell us what's up."

It was about half an hour before they showed up, and in hot pursuit of the four boys was a pack of lion-mutts that were slowly gaining on them. However, they were able to turn the tides against these creatures, suffering a few scratches and flesh-wounds, but nothing they couldn't patch up with some sponsor gifts and cornucopia supplies. When Feren saw the holes around the pedestals though, his face sunk. He knew exactly what had happened.

"Minali Otoyome…" he warned the others, "it had to be my district partner—she's dug up the mines and somehow reactivated them."  
"How do you know she reactivated them?" Obsidian asked,

"Well," Feren shrugged, "I certainly doubt that she dug them up just to knock us over the head with them. I kind of knew that kid a little back in '3 anyways. She's a tinkerer to her very core. That is exactly the sort of thing she would do."

"Is she the type that might accidentally get herself blown into thousands of pieces?" Kada quipped.

"Maaaaybe," Feren thought about it a moment, "but she's smarter than she looks."  
It was hard for anyone to forget the swarthy, stocky little curly-haired 16-year-old from District 3. Unusual to her district, she had a prominent country accent and a certain bounce to her step that sent her wild curls springing each time she moved.

Feren inspected the ground and found that it was not in fact rigged. If Minali had taken the mines, she had not rigged them up in this locale.

Day 8 involved the career team finding and dispatching the District 12 girl, and Day 10 found an odd rift forming in the career pack as the tributes from District 1 and District 2 grew warier of Feren and the District 11 pair. Being the stealthiest of the career alliance by far, they started to have this suspicion that Feren was secretly keeping in contact with Minali to keep her and her supposed armed landmines at bay, and that his conversations with the District 11 pair consisted of trying to find out ways to dissent before it came down to the 7 of them. Day 11 and Day 12 were when things began to break down. Minali was sighted perched atop some of the stone ruins, but before they could attack her, she whipped out a pair of what appeared to be gigantic gear wheels, which explained her ominous shadow before. They were attached to her arms almost like gigantic shields, except that Feren quickly noticed why the shields had "teeth" like a gear.

"It's a contraption!" he shouted, "and it's got the mines! get down!"  
Sure enough, seconds later, Minali shifted her arms, and the "gear" on her right arm turned, firing an activated mine like a bomb towards the career pack. The blast knocked them all off their feet, critically injuring Feren and Kumani, while roughing up Obsidian, Elegys, and Noriko. Kada and Raeya did not get back up, and two cannons blared. Minali wasted no time in firing another mine from her left-hand weapon, and the careers took off running. Elegys was blasted off his feet with the 2nd shot, but he managed to get back up relatively unharmed, if not a bit dazed.

The District 12 boy was briefly forgotten as the career pack shifted their focus onto the tribute they now knew was by far the largest threat: Minali. They deducted that with such heavy contraptions attached to her arms that her mobility was limited, and that they would have to take her down with speed and before she noticed them— for she had explosively dangerous range on them.

However, this was further complicated that evening (Day 11) when Feren was sniped by that District 12 boy. Noriko, who seemed to be in the best condition of the surviving careers, gave chase, returning sometime around dawn on Day 12, with a cannon blaring to signify her kill.

However, their triumph was short-lived. Kumani and Elegys met their ends as Minali once again appeared from atop a nearby ruin within range of where the career pack was camping. Another several mines were shot their way, and while Kumani was blasted away and lay there motionless, Elegys was blasted apart by a 2nd shot that all but obliterated him. Obsidian and Noriko were roughed up from the attack, but still fairly hale. Noriko attempted to engage the District 3 girl in direct combat, but she soon learned why the weapons were designed the way they were. Those "gear teeth" served not only as a nice defense, but also as a vicious offense. The stocky girl was a bit stronger than Noriko had anticipated and was able to wield these large spiked shields with considerable ease. In truth Minali's arms were exhausted, but she knew that if she let her guard down for a moment, she would be cloven in two. She managed to fire off a mine right into Noriko's chest, but fortunately, all it did was knock the wind out of the girl and knock her back,.

"Acha, a dud!" Minali complained, but the fact that Noriko was off her feet meant that Minali could escape, and she used that time accordingly. Noriko swore as her adversary got away, and she and Obsidian rested rather than give chase. They knew that the games were drawing to an end.

They made their way to the cornucopia, hoping that Minali would either be drawn there or that she would be killed in the process.

Day 14 was rife with the distant sound of explosions. It seemed that Minali had gotten caught in a trap or was fighting something off, as there were numerous explosion sounds.

"19…" Obsidian kept count as the ground rumbled, "20… and…" he paused for a few moments, "21. She's got three shots left, unless she fired another dud."

"Good," Noriko grunted, "hopefully she gets her butt over here so we can finally kill her without those stupid weapons."

Minali had in fact fired another dud, but that meant she still had two shots left, and so she made her way to the cornucopia, a trail of dead or exploded mutts and ruins in her wake. Her large, gear-like shields could also function somewhat as wheels, and so Minali used that to help herself get around without sacrificing too much mobility, or wasting her arm strength, which was basically a commodity at this point.

However, soon her marks were in sight, and while it was fairly anticlimactic, Minali used her distance to her advantage, and fired one of her last mines. It blasted the ground several feet in front of the career pack, getting their attention. Obsidian and Noriko attempted to split up, but Minali's final mine found its mark, and perhaps ironically, blasted Noriko one way and Obsidian the other way. Two more cannons blared, and suddenly, the games had ended. Minali had become the 2nd victor from District 3, and the 14th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Despite the horrors of the games, Minali was actually fairly used to explosions given her occupation, and her life as a victor did not change that much. She constructed a basement in her victor's mansion, turning it into a large workshop where she tinkered with this or with that. Surprisingly, she also went on to live a long, healthy life. However, she had also left a legacy not only for District 3, but for the games as a whole. The mines were simply another aspect of the arena just as the metal had been that Minali had used for her contraption. Thus, if tributes knew how to use them, it was more power to them, rather than an unfair advantage. After all… everyone knew about the mines.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)


	15. The 15th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _a month, I know! The good news was that I was updating a lot of my other fics in the meantime,and I have a few exciting chapters coming up. This is admittedly a slightly slower chapter, but it does make a good reference to the book. Katniss spoke of this game once-and here is the victor._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 15th Annual Hunger Games**

Trial and error was the name of the Hunger Games program. No one was perfect, and the odds of the Gamemakers making each new game better than the last would continue to slim, the better they got.

Not to say that the 15th Annual Hunger Games were dull—they were just poorly executed due to an oversight. For some of the districts, it was a reminder that despite all of the fanfare and celebration, that the lives of the children suffering and dying in these arenas were utterly meaningless to the decadent Capitol. For others, it was just another test of survival.

Scores were about average all around with the richer districts such as 1, 2, and 5 scoring higher in reflection of their good health and strength, and a few of the hardier tributes, like the kids from '7 and '11, also scored decently enough.

The arena that year though, was downright hostile, and was a lesson learned to the Gamemakers when all was said and done. Even with the uniforms equipping them for the harsh cold that the frozen arena provided, many of them, such as the tributes from southerly districts like 5, 2, 11, and 4, were not used to the cold, and so it gave them a little trouble at first. The bloodbath was a mixture of chaos and confusion, with a little coordination from the four career tributes. The thick blizzard of snow made things difficult to see, other than that a forest surrounded them, perhaps as shelter from the elements.

The effectiveness of this was rather limited. 8 tributes died in the bloodbath, but another 9 died in the first evening from freezing to death. The remaining 7 tributes would battle it out over the next few days, or so the Capitol hoped.

However, when even the careers were more concerned with trying not to freeze to death, the Capitol made an announcement that firewood and other appropriate tools to get them going would become available, the tributes started to stir. They similarly started providing other means of getting warm, and a few lucky tributes were even sponsored.

The career pack that year was practically non-existent. The District 2 pair had frozen late in the first evening, being more used to hotter, more arid climates given the district's location. The boy from District 1 had simply been unlucky, and the tributes from '11 were also among the dead. Only the beautiful little Willow James from District 1 remained from the career pack, being used to colder climes. District 1 was located in the mountains north of the Capitol, after all, (to obtain the gems and metals they worked with) and so they were used to colder climates.

Similarly, the miners in District 12 were familiar with cold winters (although this was mainly due to the poor supply of electricity that came into the district, leaving them cold and dark on many a winter night), as were the woodcutters of the northern reaches of District 7.

Willow, these two pairs, and a devious pair from District 6: Sabastian Kyorin and Mailee Kuuls, were the only remaining tributes by the 2nd morning, and by this time, the surviving tributes were starting to warm up and thus be able to move around again.

True to the nature of District 6, the pair was lithe and mobile, and on the 2nd day they were able to track down the District 12 pair, who, while comfortable in the cold at this point, were not exactly suited for a survival match against District 7 in a forest. They would be the next competition.

Sabastian and Mailee surrounded the pair before engaging in a blitzkrieg-style melee battle that left the pair from District 12 dead within minutes, with minimal damage to the District 6 pair. 5 tributes survived the 2nd and 3rd days.

Willow, on the other hand, had found a cave to get out of the elements, and so with it, her own survival skills and supplies, as well as a few generous sponsors who hoped that the pretty girl would win a game, she was just going to wait it out.

She did not have to wait long. Early on the 5th day, the heat finally drew attention, bringing the curious District 7 boy in. He didn't make it far, however, before falling back out of the cave mouth with a knife through his chest. His partner responded by shooting an arrow into the cave mouth. Willow did not see this coming, and it stuck her right in the ear. She cried out, which prompted the girl to shoot again, but Willow launched a knife right through her throat in retaliation, and the arena grew quiet again.

Even after the hovercrafts came for the bodies though, Mailee and Sabastian noticed the blood before the new snow covered it up. 24 hours was enough time, however, for Willow to stubbornly hole up in that cave and earn herself a defensive bastion that only the Gamemakers would be able to force her out of. However, with the intervention they had already done, it seemed that they were done interfering.

As a result, it took an all-out siege to finally draw Willow out of the cave, where Sabastian and Mailee fell on her with ferocity. What they did not expect, however, is that she would throw herself at them in return, except that she was armed with knives—which she lodged in their foreheads almost simultaneously. The games had ended, and Willow's victory had been someone anticlimactic.

Yet, a victor was a victor, and so Willow's triumph was not forgotten. District 1 celebrated, the Capitol lauded her and showered her with the same riches that the other victors had gotten, and with that, Willow became the 3rd victor from District 1, and the 15th victor of the Hunger Games.

Willow was not terribly traumatized except that she became very aversive to cold temperatures. Killing other tributes had been something she had been trained to do, but she had nearly frozen to death in the arena, which in turn gave the girl a habit of wearing pants and long sleeves in almost any weather. The Gamemakers learned from their mistakes, but the last few days of these very short games had still managed to be eventful in their own special way. Next year things would be different.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)


	16. The 16th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Shenanigans start here. More interesting chapters are approaching, since I have written a few of them out of order. Not that this one is necessarily slow; this one is important for a few reasons. It also helps advance us to interesting chapters and characters such as Woof, Seeder, Wiress, Beetee, and of course, the infamous 1st Quarter Quell._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 16th Annual Hunger Games**

Perhaps as a lesson learned from the year before, it was clear that the Capitol was steering away from frigid tundra arenas for the time being. Perhaps there were still kinks to iron out. Preventing 17 tributes from dying on the first day was one of those things.

And thus instead of the frozen wasteland dotted with shivering tributes just trying to stay alive rather than attempt to kill each other, the 16th Annual Hunger Games took an interesting turn that would change the way Hunger Games were done forever, and they were excited to reveal it to an eager Capitol audience who they knew would swallow it up.

The tributes all seemed fairly normal, and perhaps a bit stereotypical, even. The tributes from District 1 were confident and perhaps a bit ditzy, while their district 2 counterparts, Soren &amp; Lynn, were a swift and lethal pair that were not exactly tiny, but their finesse and dexterity kept them on the stealthy side, even to the point where they terrified most of the tributes from the outlying districts with the element of playful surprise. Even the staunch District 11 pair, Rangi Calhoun and Lark Chandnea got their feathers ruffled, but they got a good laugh in when a crafty District 5 boy named Gerome Swann tricked them with a handmade joy buzzer, Despite this, the careers liked this kid's antics enough to let him and his partner join their alliance, and so it was looking to be another career game again. None of the tributes from districts beyond '8 showed much promise, and even Districts 7 and 8 did not exactly look like fighters this year.

The District 4 pair actually joined forces with Lavender Tylers, the scrawny but lithe girl from District 12, and the kids from District 3, and so perhaps there would be a different faction to stand up to the careers this year. Time would tell.

What none of the tributes expected, however, was the arena they were thrown into. It was a bright forest with a gorgeous spring atmosphere that almost aroused curiosity in some of the warier tributes: Why was the Capitol making the arena so simplistic? Surely there was a catch.

Within a few hours of the bloodbath ending, the surviving 13 tributes figured out what it was—there were mutts in the arena, although they mostly just looked like larger, fiercer wild forest animals such as cougars and wolves. They were aggressive, but durable fighters such as Lavender, Rangi, and Lark were able to handle them fairly easily, and the mutts were no match for Lynn and Soren's skills. Even Gerome managed to outwit them, which served as a boon to the career pack.

The 2nd day proved to house a surprise for the remaining tributes, who were starting to catch on to the arena's tricks. It was much hotter and drier today than it had been the previous day, and the lish meadows of flowers had disappeared, being replaced by thick dark leaves in the trees and grass on the ground. It was as if the season changed.

The pair from District 3 were the first to make the conclusion as to what had happened, but the boy had died in the bloodbath, and Lark assassinated the girl early in the afternoon, with a blade to the skull, and so their secret died with them—at least until the others figured it out.

Day 3 saw no deaths, and gone were the lush and vivid greens of the 2nd day. In their stead, the trees were shedding their leaves, and it started to look like autumn. At once, the remaining tributes began preparing for what they anticipated would come on the 4th day—winter.

Soren and Lynn's arrogance was their downfall by mid-afternoon on day 4, where the winter chills that verified some of the warier tributes' theories, finally bested the last two careers, leaving mostly just tributes from outer districts: Rangi, Lavender, and Lark, as well as Gerome.

Ultimately, the seasons thing seemed to be more of a test this year than anything, which may have explained the simplistic arena layout that had enabled so many deaths in the first four days. When the 5th day rolled around, there were only 7 tributes left.

The arena began to grow more hostile. As winter transitioned into spring, the wild weather that everyone often associated with the season came back in full swing, with weird periods of rain, snow, and even sleet and the occasional small hail. Summer on the 6th day proved even more brutal—Gerome's life was lost that day due to the sheer humidity and torrential rainfall known to some as the monsoon season. Being from a much more arid location, this meant that he could not cope with the drastic change in humidity around him. Lavender and Rangi struggled a bit, while Lark hunkered down and prepared for autumn and winter again. Autumn proved to be brutal by demonstrating the size of the hailstones the arena threw at the remaining tributes. Lark took initiative to try and find Lavender (and hope that Rangi got killed before she had to face him) or the District 3 pair, who had oddly survived. She zigzagged through the arena, only to hear a cannon go off later in the evening, revealing Rangi's face. Lavender died shortly after, at Lark's hand, and now her victory was nigh.

Despite being from a warmer district, Lark had been one of those to prepare and anticipate what was to come, and she shielded herself from the harsh elements and weather.

Early on the 9th day, the games ended with a sudden ambush to the District 3 pair courtesy of Lark. The harsh weather had stopped, and it seemed that the cycle had been about to start anew. Whatever the case, Lark Chandnea was crowned the victor, becoming the 2nd victor from District 11, and the 16th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Lark tended to stay indoors a lot after her games, especially if the weather was bad or erratic. She did not fear the weather, but she did not like sudden changes like she had experienced in the arena.

If the arena had taught her anything, it had taught her to adapt and how to become a survival expert—tips and tricks she would sometimes teach to other children—especially tributes that she mentored. She wanted to get another District 11 victor soon, both because she wanted to be done mentoring soon, and because she wanted to see District 11 bring home survivors. Time would tell if she was successful in this endeavor or not…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)


	17. The 17th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Enter Woof Casino, an older District 8 victor. Not much was revealed other than that he hid most of the time and then somehow emerged the victor. I imagine that the last couple of tributes didn't just trip over rocks and die, and so perhaps there was a streak of cunning in the boy that was only lost to age or the likes._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 17th Annual Hunger Games**

The 17th Annual Hunger Games was remembered for surprisingly very little. Even today, the details of the arena are not exactly clear, apart from the fact that it was apparently rocky, and lighting was minimal. The hidden cameras that graced the various landscape were somewhat infrared, because the entire arena was nearly pitch-black, even from the start. The moon seemed to be permanently a new moon, and so only the dim light of the fake stars overhead provided any light.

Tributes groped their way around foliage and rocks alike, finding that the terrain was not at all equal outside of the little clearing that the pedestals and cornucopia stood in. There was not really a bloodbath that year either given the lack of light to see who was who, and as such, even the career alliance was practically non-existent. The only alliance that managed to survive was the alliance between the two District 11 tributes, who, in the chaos of the darkness and mad scramble for supplies, had found the most useful item in the games—night vision glasses. Moreover, they were some of the only people who knew how to utilize them, and so they took advantage of the situation, scoring several kills (or at least injuring others) before departing into the rocky wilderness around them.

Only 5 tributes actually died the first day, although 3 more succumbed to injuries from the bloodbath by the evening or the 2nd "morning". Only three tributes were using those glasses to get around—the District 11 pair from before, and a boy form District 8 who wandered as far from the cornucopia as he could with little more than those glasses, a flimsy spear, and a fat backpack. He only stopped to check its contents after the 2nd day, to find it loaded with food. Knowing that he could subsist off of this for days if he found a water source, this Woof Casino fellow went on a hunt to find just that, locating a stream nearby a couple of large rocks and trees. As a fellow from District 8, he was not exactly a prime fighter, and so he was simply going to take the chance and hole himself up a ways off the ground, rigging up the surrounding area with a few simple traps. Ideally, he would wait for the others to kill each other off before letting them come to him, where they would hopefully fall into his traps. Woof constructed a slingshot and collected a few small stones as he lodged himself into this little area, ready to wait it out as long as he needed.

Oddly, this plan proved to be rather effective. A career alliance formed from the three remaining career tributes, but hunting the others was difficult in the pitch darkness. None of them had any way to see in the dark apart from whatever light they were able to produce, and they were more in pursuit of District 11 rather than Woof.

So simplistic and clever was Woof's plan that he actually got sponsor gifts because of it. The infrared cameras also showed some of his elaborate traps as he built them, and also even showed that unless someone had watched him build them, that there was almost no way to actually see them.

Cannons continued to fire day after day until there were only three tributes left: Woof, one of the District 11 tributes, and the girl who had killed that tribute's partner and taken their glasses. Really, Woof didn't know any of them, and didn't really care. He was still content with camping out in his little improvised citadel, waiting for someone to step into one of his traps.

On day 9, as his food started running low, Woof was awoken by a scream and a snapping noise, followed moments after by the boom of a cannon. One of the other tributes had triggered his trap. The other one had been in hot pursuit, but she froze as she saw the body getting lifted out by Capitol hovercrafts.

"Come on out, '8…" She licked the blade of her knife, knowing that if he had those glasses, he could probably see her, but her pride got in the way of her thought process for a moment. "It ends here."

"It sure does," Woof agreed, before striking her with a rock from his slingshot. This proceeded to make her angry, and she threw a knife with vicious velocity that nearly cut off Woof's hand. He crouched down a bit more before slinging another stone, trying to provoke her to approach him.

"The trap's been triggered," he admitted with something of a shrug, "it's not going to build itself and hit you again, you know."  
To his surprise, this actually worked, and the girl charged at him—only to trigger a second trap. Woof had built three layers of traps on three sides of him, while using the back of the rocks and trees as his "fourth side". This simple act of baiting, combined with toying with the District 2 girl's pride, had just won Woof the games, making him the 1st victor from District 8, and the 17th victor overall.

Woof's trauma was minimal other than that he had an odd fondness for being by himself in the dark. He had anticipated the tributes approaching his traps, and so had not been afraid of them. He was still not much of a fighter, but he was much more aloof after his games. It would be foolish, after all, to suggest that he had not been affected. Rather than suffer from trauma or nightmares, however, Woof Casino was simply aloof and disconnected from most other people. He was still mentally sound, but he had served his time in the arena, and it showed—it would always show…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)


	18. The 18th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ This story was kind of delayed while I worked on finishing "The 74th Annual Hunger Games", and then advancing "The 93rd Annual Hunger Games", but I expect it to still be achievable by my posted date. Fear not though, for the pace will continue and hopefully quicken._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 18th Annual Hunger Games**

The tributes of the 18th Annual Hunger Games proved to be a bit different from the usual rabble. Many of them, including the kids from the urban districts, seemed to be fairly competent survivalists, and the Capitol just tacked this up to being luck of the draw. The reapings had not been rigged that year, after all—even in rebellious districts like 12, 8, or 3.

Either way, the arena was simplistic and yet magnificent. Dense, redwood forests dominated the scene except for a small clearing where the cornucopia stood—at least as far as any of the tributes knew. District 1's John Trimble and Melissa Cuevas figured that they had the games in the bag, and with Zoe Rice and Brock Salazar from District 2 at their sides, they, like many career packs before them, were fairly confident in their abilities.

They did not, however, count on the presence of 16-year-old Leah Holden.

Known among her fellows from District 7 as a local hero, Leah was exactly the type of kid that made a powerful head-turning tribute.

She was lightning quick on her feet, and had a wicked pair of ambidextrous throwing arms. Snatching up an axe, she started the show by bringing Melissa the most painfully glorious type of humiliation possible—placing her 24th in the Hunger Games.

Her head detached from her body within 38 seconds as Leah's axe soared through her neck. By this point a few other tributes were fighting, and so while it was unclear to the tributes who else had died, District 1 was not happy this year.

Insult was added to injury was John engaged in battle against Leah, but the axe-wielding maniac was too much for the career. All it took was one fell swing from Leah's battleaxe to make him a double amputee below the waist, and a second swing split his head in two. At once it was clear that Leah Holden was not messing around.

The career pack of the 18th games was decimated, however, as Carlos Sotari, a scrawny boy form District 12, stole Leah's kill by shooting Zoe right through the head at the end of the bloodbath as the two tributes had been duking it out. He braced himself for Leah's wrath, only to find her extending her hand.

"Nice work, kid. You wanna team up for a while?"

Leah was fairly certain that these woods were not too far outside her home, and there was a part of her that wondered if she could leave the arena and escape back to District 7. Not that that was actually a possibility, but with her ferocity, she was determined to win it anyways.

The only oddity about this thick forest was a ring about midway between the cornucopia and the forcefields. Leah and Carlos came across a large, neatly paved road that carved its way through the forest in a neat, circular pattern. After nearly a day of following it, they realized that it was in fact a circle, that ran dully around the arena. It was an oddity for sure.

On the other hand, this arena did not seem to have any signs of life except the wind in the trees, and the occasional brooklet or pond for water, and so the tributes subsisted off of fruit and nuts, as well as sponsor gifts.

Leah was a proud recipient of many of these for her stellar performance in the bloodbath, and so she dominated the arena in an undeniably memorable manner. However, even her glorious talents did not answer the mystery of the road. Most tributes outside of Districts 2 and 6 had never even seen a properly paved road until they had reached the Capitol a few days ago, and so for it to be here in this otherwise dense but uninhabited forest struck many of them as odd.

As the days wore on though, there was still no sign of unusual activity, and the arena even still seemed devoid of any other fauna. Only the trees, plants, and the road remained. The 5 tributes that had lasted through the first eight days of the games were all fairly spread out.

Leah surprised District 12 and the Capitol by turning on Carlos, before singling out Brock shortly afterwards and killing him. It was clear that she was on the warpath.

The road had turned out to be little more than a red herring, but it didn't stop most tributes from being a little curious about it. On the other hand, that just enabled Leah to get better shots in on them and attack them as they gradually went down. With the careers gone, she pretty much had this thing in the bag, she was certain.

Her ferocity and willingness to put on a show earned her many sponsors, which was exactly what she had hoped for. Her cute charm also upped her appeal, and because of her talents and her sponsor gifts, Leah Holden soon ended the games by finishing off the remaining tributes and earning herself the title of victor. The local hero had become a national hero, becoming the 2nd victor from District 7, and the 18th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Despite her vicious and ruthless approach in the games, Leah was actually very sweet and friendly, hiding her nightmares from the public of Panem fairly well. Every now and again she would cry herself to sleep, but for the most part, Leah had shelved her axe and gone back to her quiet old life in District 7. Like Woof before her, Leah was fairly mentally sound, but she had her moments. She managed to remain fairly sweet and sociable, which made people wonder just what happened in that forested arena. However, like many victors, Leah wouldn't ever tell…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)


	19. The 19th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Similar to the delay upon finishing "The 74th Annual Hunger Games", this delay was in part due to the binge of "The 93rd Annual Hunger Games". Either way, here is another chapter, this one inspired by a childhood game that most of us have hopefully played._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 19th Annual Hunger Games**

Every now and again, there is a game that transcends time and space, lasting through cataclysms big and small. Often times it is the utter simplicity of the game in question that helps to keep its rules preserved and intact through the ages. The 19th Annual Hunger Games was a reminder of this.

The obstacle courses at the Capitol's training center were usually just used for speed and dexterity testing, although a few of the tributes found them particularly enjoyable—especially kids from the urban districts. The pair from District 6 in particular, Charles Vance and Zeruda Mežkiel, found them to be rather entertaining. Both of them remained fairly aloof and distant from the others, making it clear that they had minimal interest in any alliances.

Occasionally they were joined by a kid or two from District 3 or District 8, but they only started garnering attention after Rafe Terrn, the District 2 boy and leader of this year's career pack, began eyeing them, mostly just to wonder what on earth they were up to climbing all over these obstacle courses and walls all the time.

When it was time for the games to start, the others regretted not doing more of the same. The arena of the 19th Annual Hunger Games was a grim a sadistic reminder of the childhood game where 'the floor is lava', only taken to a literal extreme. Apart from a small, rocky plateau that housed the pedestals and the cornucopia, most of the ground WAS in fact lava, creating a red and black, hostile landscape littered with rocks, dead trees, and various steaming lakes and springs. It certainly explained why the light clothing the tributes had been dressed in seemed to do so well at keeping them cool.

"Looks like things are about to heat up!" Zeruda chanted from her pedestal as the countdown began. A couple of other tributes couldn't help but snicker, while most of them just groaned. She would be the first to go, for sure.

Rafe and his partner Saria Kokri teamed up with District 1's Lola Moss and Cedric Darouth and fought for control of the cornucopia, only to realize that once again it was devoid of too many food supplies. Naturally, this meant that they would have to trek out into these lava fields to find out what the Capitol was going to give them to subsist upon.

Rafe and his group managed to discover food and water on top of some of the higher rocks after the bloodbath had ended, and 10 tributes had lost their lives. Up here it was slightly cooler, oddly enough, perhaps from the distance away from the lava. The odd berry bushes that they found and partook of were like nothing that they had ever seen or tasted.

"Maybe it's some genetically engineered plant?" Saria suggested, "it tastes good and fills you up. I don't think we can argue with that unless one of us wants to be eating lava.

Over the next few days, this career pack realized two things: that instead of controlling the cornucopia, they just had to control these bushes whenever they found them; and that those District 6 kids were particularly nimble. Still, even speed and dexterity did not stop the careers, and soon Charles found himself on the end of a spear, but not before he had done something that caused the three surviving careers to stop and think.

Charles had been armed with a small, cylindrical object. As they hopped from rock to rock to avoid the lava in pursuit of him, he had tossed it into the lava, where seconds later it blew Cedric sky high.

"They're digging up the mines!" Lola exclaimed, "it doesn't take a genius to realize…"  
"But how did he set it off like that…" Saria paused, "unless… unless it's just the heat from the lava?

Fortunately for the remaining three, they were able to dispatch the District 3 pair by the 5th day of the games, and they learned that they had not been armed with any other mines.

It was when the Capitol invited the tributes to a feast at sundown three days later that the real danger appeared. Zeruda was one of the 7 tributes left, reminding the others that games where deadly traps were all around them were games that went by fast and dangerously. She had helped Charles dig up the remainder of the mines, and she had migrated towards the career's perch—a tall narrow plateau—early in the afternoon before the feast proper.  
She took her bag, loaded with about 18-10 of those deactivated mines, and tossed it into the lava at the base of this tall rock structure before running manically the opposite direction. The heat would take over, for it did not discern activated explosives or deactivated ones. The heat ingited them causing an enormous explosion that did not kill any of the careers atop that rock, but did cause the massive rock structure to shatter and sink right into the lava—claiming the lives of the three tributes perched atop it.

Three of the four remaining tributes went to the feast that night, with one of them—a boy from District 9—killing the boy from District 10 before running off. The boy from District 5 never showed up, and so Zeruda snatched up his supplies as well as the supplies intended for the careers that she had slain earlier, and lived like a queen at the cornucopia until two days later.

Something had gone off in the arena that had caused the lava levels to rise in some places, effectively forcing the other tributes back to the cornucopia, where Zeruda had been waiting to ambush them. Almost as if that was what was expected at this point, she successfully took out both of them, and ended the games. The little girl that had been aloofly hopping around the obstacle courses had just become the 2nd victor from District 6, and the 19th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Still—she had paid her price, and seeing all of these tributes die by heat or explosions had taken its toll on her. She was very aversive to hot climates afterwards, and like many in her districts, fell into Morphling use shortly after her games, letting it ease the pains and memories of her games.

Surprisingly, Zeruda did end up having two children—but she was never around when they decided to play "the floor is lava"…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)


	20. The 20th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Another year, another victor. There is not much to say about this one that has not already been said. The good news is, is that the story picks up, what with the quarter quell approaching. Similarly, as we go through the different games, more familiar (canon) characters will start to emerge._  
_In the meantime... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 20th Annual Hunger Games**

It was not like the Capitol had to come up with a completely new and unique environment for the arena each year, and so when word spread through the Capitol that the Gamemakers were trying an old design from half a decade ago again, it was met with intrigue. Still, the tributes of the 20th Annual Hunger Games would have it better off than their predecessors. The notion of so many Hunger Games having already occurred meant that the Gamemakers had plenty of material to work with, and even some trends to watch for, even if this year none of the tributes seemed to stand out much from each other. It was no matter though—a victor was a victor regardless of his or her district, age, strength, size, or gender, and tributes were tributes all the same.

The first thing these tributes noticed about the arena was that there was a lot of white. It was another icy tundra-style arena, except the biggest difference this time was that instead of rocks there were trees, and it seemed that the cornucopia was stocked with fire starters and survival supplies, alongside the usual weaponry.

The tributes from the warmer, southerly districts, such as 5, 11, 8, 4, and even 2, had it harder than the others. The District 2 pair survived because they were trained career tributes that fought off the other kids before commandeering the warmest equipment, but most of the district tributes wound up suffering because of the heat. They were able to survive better due to the abundance of supplies and better chances at making shelters, but even then, all but the hardiest of them were more focused on survival rather than massacre.

Nelekar Carver and Tamiyo Zaila, on the other hand, were from the northern mountains of District 1 where fine gems were mined. While they were considered 'poorer' citizens, they were still better off than many of Panem's poorer districts, and they had developed a hardy resilience against the cold due to the climate where they lived. Not even the northerly District 7 could say the same.

The surprise survivor was Muscida Lee, an oddly-named boy from District 4 of all places, that had survived the bloodbath even if his partner Ari had not. Instead of trying to fight, he had decided to take shelter, and had used the shovel in his backpack to dig out a little cave out of a snowdrift, concealing the entrance with more snow. He disappeared from everyone's view except the Capitol's (thanks to the tracker in his right arm), and so as the games wore on and more tributes were eliminated, few people even remembered Muscida existed at all.

He emerged occasionally to find or forage for whatever food he could get, but otherwise was back in his little cave keeping warm, covering the entrance with extra snow to prevent someone thinking there was a tribute underneath it all.

His tactic was somewhat effective. Unlike the last Hunger Games to use a tundra-like setting, this one also had mutts roaming about, their white fur coats helping them blend into the environment as well as any tribute. Some of them, including Tamiyo and Nelekar, managed to kill off some of these mutts for meat, and they tasted surprisingly decent for Hunger Games food. However, for some tributes, these creatures spelled their demise, and as the days passed, only the strong and the smart were able to outwit and outmaneuver these creatures as they roamed an icy landscape that was surely reminiscent of their habitat—if artificially engineered creatures had a habitat, that was.

By the 10th day of the games, Tamiyo had just slaughtered Ayaka, a resilient and elusive girl from District 12 that had almost won the games, she being used to the woods and the winters the same as the District 1 pair had been. With her out of the way, they turned on each other, thinking that they were the only two left.

Thus, when Tamiyo's cannon went off and the games didn't end, Nelekar realized he had made a grave mistake. Counting the tributes off, he realized that they had overlooked a boy from District 4 the entire time, which he now sought to rectify.

The good news was that there were mutts chasing him and guiding him towards where Miscida's snow fort was, and Nelekar was used to outrunning and outmaneuvering them. The bad news was that at one point, he lost his footing and slipped into a drift, where the packs of arctic wolves that had been chasing him made a quick meal of the boy, firing the final cannon of the games. Muscida emerged from his snow cave to find, to his slight surprise, that he had been crowned the winner: the 2nd victor from District 4, and the 20th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

If not for the single kill he had made in the bloodbath, Muscida would have become the stuff of legend for being able to survive the Hunger Games without taking a single life. Still, it was considered a rather impressive feat (and an embarrassment on Tmiyo and Nelekar's parts) that he had managed to survive the games without having to attack or defend from anyone else.

As a result of the fairly simplistic way that he had won the games, Muscida's trauma was minimal, although he did find solace in the idea of a snow cave, even if most of his district was far too earm to ever have any snow of its own…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)


	21. The 21st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _with '93 (mostly) out of the way, I was able to kick this story back into operation, and will hopefully be able to continue to do so. All I will say at this point is that there are definitely career tributes that win more than others._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 21st Annual Hunger Games**

There were many dark connotations with the Hunger Games among the districts that had formed as early as its inception or perhaps the 2nd year of their existence. By this point, most of the rebels and rebel children had grown up, but now they were having children that were eligible to be reaped into the games, and many of them were. The Capitol did not forget too easy.

Thus, when the 21st Annual Hunger Games rolled around, that suspenseful moment rolled around where 24 boys and girls were taken from their homes, and all but one would never return.

One of the most discomforting things about the games apart from the obvious notion of children slaying innocent children, was how eerily beautiful many of the arenas were. Almost as if the Capitol had expected a powerful band of tributes for this year's games, the arena was set to be an interesting one.

It appeared to take place in a massive cave, except that it was lit with a wide and awe-inspiring array of bioluminescent flora—and as they later discovered, fauna as well (in the form of mutts). Still, it was not enough to faze District 1's Holt Cramer, who led the career pack this year with his partner as well as the two tributes from District 2, James Duval and Kada Lahka.

The 60 seconds used to count down the seconds before the games kicked off were all pretty much used by the tributes to look around in awe at the ceilings lost in darkness, occasionally peppered by the faint glow of some rock or plant life that gave off lights of various colors, albeit usually shades of blue, green, or indigo. It was almost like those 'eternal night' arenas except that the faint lights didn't go away.

Incidentally, the most dangerous tributes for the career pack were District 12, who lived under the rocks and stone deep in their dark, dank mines. Oddly enough, District 8 also fared rather well, using the colors to camouflage, and acquainting themselves with their cramped conditions. They quickly formed an alliance with Haley Carrigan, the girl from District 11 who had survived the bloodbath (where 10 tributes had died). The next few days consisted of these "outlying tributes" going on to resist the careers, opening their game up by nearly offing their leader Holt, which caused confusion in the career pack after their 5 days of being together.

But it was after these 5 days that things started getting stranger. Water sources began to be more restricted, as previous bodies of water became salty, and thus unsuitable to drink. Of course, the survivalist nature of the kids such as Haley and the District 12 pair had them finding water in no time flat. Suspicion arose, however, when Kada left the career pack, and disappeared from anyone's sights. James, Holt, and his partner Lucia grew suspicious, figuring that she was up to something. In truth, all Kada found was some poisonous fog that nearly started eating her skin, had she not jumped into the nearest body of water to alleviate the pain. Her eyes stung after an event like that, but the salty water alleviated the acidic pain, and so all in all, the only real damage done was that most of her clothes were gone, except her shoes, belt, and underwear, which did not seem affected.

It was around this time that Kada started to make a shift in her 'personality'. The quiet and fairly demure but gifted fighter that she had portrayed herself as, turned around and became a bold and audacious (and somewhat lewd) young woman who was ready to go on a killing spree, and also got a few good laughs by showing her (thankfully not bare) butt to the hidden arena cameras and making vulgar gestures and expressions.

As trivial as it sounded, Kada's secret to success was using the glowing rocks to her advantage. She had a wicked throwing arm, and so even though she was devoid of weapons, she could lob a rock hard enough to crack a skull or crack a limb. She managed to cause a small rockslide that killed the girl from District 12 and both kids from District 8, killing the District 12 boy a few minutes later with his own weapon. As soon as Holt, Lucia, and James realized that five tributes had just died on night 10, they knew what they were going up against.

Dubbed "the Laughing Bandit", they concluded that Kada had gone off the deep end, and in a way, she had. Nearly getting her flesh eaten off (even if those nasty, painful boils had subsided, doing little harm to Kada's skin apart from making parts of it pink and tender) and fleeing from an alliance that had not tried to help her did sort of spook her, but after shedding her concerns and deciding that there was no point in being scared, her rate of success skyrocketed.

However, even with their tributes keeping watch, Kada still managed to kill Lucia without James or Holt noticing. Holt, thinking that James had allowed it to happen given that Kada was his partner, fought the boy, and the end result of the fight had Holt walking away alive. It was now down to just him and Kada, where he went on a valiant hunt for this 'Laughing Bandit'.

Holt became famous for his final words in the Hunger Games, which were literally "oh shit…". He glanced up a moment too late, noticing Kada clinging to the ceiling almost like a starfish, before she let go, dropping on top of Holt with sharp rocks in hand, giving him a bloody but swift end, where a cannon rang, signaling his death and thus the end of the games. Kada had become the 4th victor from District 2, and the 21st victor of the games overall.

Not only did this solidify District 2's position as a domineering force in the Hunger Games, but it also gave them the wild and ruthless reputation that they were arguably famous for in the later years. Kada was already a bit crazy from the start, and so she was minimally affected overall apart from laughing and occasionally throwing stones at things. She was mesmerized by the night sky and by things that glowed, although she also had few people visit her, as she was considered an eccentric madwoman. Still, despite that, she was respected and people looked up to her—and to her, that was all that mattered. The games were a brutal pageant, and not even the staunchest loyalists from District 2 questioned that…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)


	22. The 22nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Obviously the Capitol uses different themes for the arenas each year (except 11 and 12), but eventually they will have similar ones. Still, two jungles or two ruins won't be the same, so it's not like it will get repetitive. Similarly, there may or may not be names that appear more than once throughoug this collection. It's not like names only get sued once. Not to say that it happens in this chapter; more just a heads-up._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 22nd Annual Hunger Games**

It was becoming clear that Districts 1 and 2 were formidable forces in each arena, and they appeared to be producing stronger tributes with each passing year. As the districts grew more accustomed to the Hunger Games, they began adjusting accordingly, but few outside of District 4 except for the occasional one from District 3 or 5, could keep up with the progress that Districts 1 or 2 were making.

Even if District 2 was only leading by a single victor, that did not stop the drive of District 1's Dash Sasori and Gleam DiFronzo, both of whom volunteered for the 22nd Annual Hunger Games that year. After an intriguing arena like the one before it, many people speculated what the Capitol would come up with next, but they knew that these nefarious Gamemakers always had a way of surprising and impressing the populace.

Similar to the year before, it looked like another year going to be dominated by District 1 and District 2, although Kaiza from District 4 did leave a rather powerful impression with the Gamemakers and other tributes when he scored an 11.

The arena that year almost seemed suited for him and his partner, it being a series of islands connected by shallow waters. It was bright and beautiful in contrast to the dark and dimly-illuminated chambers of the 21st arena, although that one had also been considered one of the most beautiful arenas because of the soft glow that the lights had thrown around them.

The bloodbath produced a dozen tributes to stain the beaches with their blood, and the games were on. Of those twelve, 4 of the kills had been by Gleam alone, with Dash taking another three, and District 2's Verge Rambin taking another two. The tributes scattered like cockroaches except for the career pack and Kaiza, who had joined them after his own partner had died in the opening minutes at the hand of a boy from District 7.

A few days later it was not hard to discover what was going on. The District 6 boy, another survivor of the bloodbath, had built a vessel on which he was sailing over the waters. With him were a boy from District 5 and a girl from District 3. They appeared to be following Kaiza, Verge, Dash, and Gleam from the water, and were definitely up to something.

The careers moved further inland to shake them off, also hunting down and killing two more tributes during this time. The next time they saw the boat however, only one of the boys remained. There had been no faces in the sky, apart from the careers' known two victims, and so that meant they were definitely still alive somewhere out there.

The following day, however, the other boy returned to his place on the boat. At this point, Kaiza had come up with a plan. Using bamboo stalks, a bit of rope, and his own ingenuity, he had constructed a catapult which he used to launch large coconuts at the raft and the tributes on it. The islands were loaded with more coconuts than any tribute knew what to do with (and after over a week of eating them, most of them were rather sick of them except Kaiza) and their size combined with their hardness made them formidable weapons in the right hands. Kaiza knew how to wind up his catapult and aim it well—and faster than the two boys could maneuver it. Most of the shots missed, but eventually two of them found their marks, knocking the victims unconscious, where they eventually drowned. Tributes from districts 6 and 5 weren't swimmers anyways, and dealing with a massive near-concussion from being struck by a high-velocity coconut had not helped. The Capitol actually found this aspect of the games to be rather comical, and thanks to the commentators and hosts, they got a good laugh out of watching tributes fling coconuts at each other.

Slowly the number of tributes began whittling down even further, with Gleam leading the career pack and Dash as her right hand man. As they hunted for Abigail, the girl from District 3, Kaiza got eliminated by stepping on a pressure trap, which was clearly the nefarious contraption of that girl. This of course, just made Dash, Gleam, and Verge angry, and so they continued their hunt with vigor, slaying the pair from District 10, who up until this point, had both been alive. They had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. They cornered her on day 13, with Dash stealing the kill. Verge returned from a hunt later that evening with evidence that she had slain the boy from District 7, as his face appeared in the sky right as she was sitting down and getting comfortable.

The three of them spent the rest of the evening together, figuring that they might as well let each other rest up a bit before they turned on each other the next morning, but Gleam did not want to give them that chance. After the others were asleep, her eyes flicked open and she smirked mischievously. With her eyes almost glowing in the moonlight overhead, she brought her blades down on Verge and Dash, killing them both right away, and within seconds of each other.

"There's a moral to this story," she later quipped. "Never sleep with your enemy." And then just like that, the games came to their end with the final two cannons firing off, and showing the names of the last two victims in the sky. A moment later, Gleam's name was up in lights, flashing the word "VICTOR"—for that was what she was now. Gleam had just become the 4th victor from District 1, and the 22nd victor of the Hunger Games.

Gleam had proven that she was a ruthless character and fighter in the games, reminding Panem and District 2 that the careers from District 1 were not all ditzy and airheaded. She would alter go on to have three children of her own, some of which even participated in later games. The Hunger Games could turn almost anyone into a killer, ranging from those who wished to survive to those who had no qualms murdering others. Gleam had simply embraced it.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)


	23. The 23rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The quell approaches, and two districts are still without a victor! Will that change, or will they have to wait a bit longer? Time will tell. In the meantime, here's another chapter._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 23rd Annual Hunger Games**

Loyalty to the Capitol was one of those things that was rewarded with favors and other such things, and so the growing disparities of incomes between districts was one of the signs of that. The poorer districts like '8, '11 and '12 were the more jaded and rebellious ones, while the richer districts like '5, '2, and '1 were much more loyal to their Capitol overseers.

The amount of wealth a district and its people had was one of the major factors in how well its tributes did in the Hunger Games, if current trends were anything to go by. Another one was survivability, which explained the victors that were emerging from districts like 11 and 7, but ultimately, there were too many variables for anyone to correctly predict who would do good or badly in the games, and thus the gambling business the Capitol ran surrounding the Hunger Games remained a lucrative business based on guessing games.

The 23rd Annual Hunger Games was no exception to this. Camilla Raven, a weathered farmer from District 9, was setting up to be a formidable opponent. She had already allied herself with her partner, Harrington Bell, where the two of them proved competent with swords and sickles.

Of course, that was not about to deter the careers. This year they did not seem to have a formal alliance, but that just meant they wouldn't be travelling in a pack. If anything, it made them that much more dangerous.

This year, District 5 was counted among the career pack, considering themselves allies with them all the same. Mako Irion and Ivette Coronado were fighters, and the latter had actually volunteered no less. District 5 easily produced the most volunteers apart from Districts 1 and 2 (who, unlike the other districts, actually fought for who *got* to volunteer), and was tailed by District 4, and then District 3.

The arena this year had all of the makings for a District 9 victor, which would put them on the map. They and District 12 were the only districts without any victors after 23 years, after all. Still, when the tributes rose to their pedestals surrounding the cornucopia, they found themselves surrounded by vast fields of wheat and other grasses. It was clear that there would not be any food at the cornucopia this year.

Sure enough, there was no food, and very little else besides weapons and a few first aid kids. This was going to be one of those arenas that was potentially troublesome for the careers, since controlling the cornucopia would be meaningless this year.

If this was to be the case though, it was not going to be in the bloodbath. Both tributes from Districts 12 and 10 were slain, as were the tributes from district 7, and one from districts 4, 3, 6, and 8—bringing the fatality rate for the bloodbath this year up to ten.

The fields surrounding them were not just grass and wheat. There were at least a few cornfields and bean fields, and the District 11 kids took full advantage of this area, finding a suitable hiding place and waiting it out.

The water did not come until later in the afternoon when it rained. Every few hours it would rain for about 30 minutes or an hour, and then stop for another 4-5 hours. For a while, it became a game of survival, since it was hard to find tributes when the grass was so tall it went over their heads. Surprisingly, even the career tributes from Districts 1 and 2 began to die off, both from difficulty surviving, and being out of their element. They couldn't win every year.

It was not surprising to see Districts 9 and 11 thriving in this atmosphere, but the fact that both tributes from District 5 were still alive and kicking 8 days later was something that many people considered impressive. In fact, the Capitol was impressed enough that both Mako and Ivette were sponsored electrical weapons that they knew how to wield and utilize to their fullest potential, given that they were from the district that powered all of Panem.

District 11 managed to attack them both, and even slew Mako, forcing Ivette to flee with little more than her sponsored weapon and the one she had snatched from Mako's corpse before her enemies could properly reach it. These two assailants were taken down by Harrington and Camilla in a two-day battle in the wheat field and the fringes of the cornfield. It was made more 'epic' by the rain and the lightning that the Capitol triggered around them for more dramatic effect.

By the 10th day, it was down to three tributes: Harrington, Ivette, and Camilla. The pair from District 9 agreed to split up to find Ivette, in the possible hopes that she would kill one of them so they would not have to turn on each other. Unlike the careers, the reaped tributes were almost never happy with the notion of killing someone else from their district. However, Ivette managed to use her cunning to draw them back together in a roundabout way, and using those sponsored weapons at the right time was the secret to her success.

It was raining again, and so everything was wet. She fired the electrical charges up and launched them at the nearest wet objects, striking her adversaries in a powerful blast of electricity that fried them almost immediately. This ending was much less sudden than some of the other ones, since this one had been one that several people—including the sponsors that had provided District 5 with those weapons—had seen coming from at least a day ago. Whatever the case, the little girl from District 5 had broken a decade-and-a-half long victor drought on her district with her victory here. Ivette had just become the 3rd victor from District 5, and the 23rd victor of the Hunger Games.

Ivette's victory had technically been considered a career victory given her affiliation with them early in the games, and her similarly ruthless means-to-an-end attitude that she had kept with her for the entirety of the time. It was unlikely that District 5 was about to start building training centers and joining the career tributes on a yearly basis, but they were certainly a powerful and mysterious force that was not to be taken lightly…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)


	24. The 24th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _People have asked me before if I hate District 9 or District 4 or District whatever else. The answer is that no, there's no district I particularly hate. I do like some more than others, but that does not necessarily affect the number of victors a district produces. There are a lot of other things that go into it than that. On another note, I am actually fairly proud of this chapter. Not wanting to let it get eclipsed by the one afterwards that I'm sure many people are hotly anticipating, I put a lot of time and intrigue into it in preparation for what's to come._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 24th Annual Hunger Games**

Upsets were somewhat commonplace among the betting communities for the Hunger Games, and among the tributes themselves. Sometimes a mighty career tribute was offed by someone that none of the others might have suspected of being capable of such. Other times, the careers predictably won, and it came down to a 50-50 chance of whether or not District 2's boy would kill the girl, or the other way around. The 24th Annual Hunger Games was a surprise not for that, but for being the first of its kind.

Juniper Daniels and Dante Lockhearst seemed like promising tributes to come from District 4 that year, but they quickly got outshined by the career pack that they had refused to join—Spartan and Cynthia from District 1, and Brock and Severa from District 2. Juniper was more worried about them than Dante, but that might have been because the boy was a much better fighter. The training scores later proved just that, with Juniper only scoring a 6, while Dante scored a 9. By contrast, three of the careers scored 10s, while Severa scored an 11. The only other outlier was a girl from District 9 by the humble name of Olivia Thurman, who also scored a 9.

District 4 was definitely out of their elements in the arena though, feeling very much like fish out of water. The vast, blazing desert expanse that spread out all around them meant that water would be tough to come by this year. Sure enough, water was scarce, and the scant few watering holes that the arena provided were fought over rather viciously, especially as a couple tributes nearly went insane from thirst.

Juniper and Dante survived the bloodbath, as did the wily District 3 pair and the four careers. Like the year before, both tributes from District 9 also survived, although Severa offed the boy later that evening. His much more graceful counterpart managed to evade death, although did assassinate two tributes under the desert stars, adding two to her kill count. Overall, only 7 tributes had died in the bloodbath, although another three had died that evening.

The desert offered few places to hide, with the exception of the occasional rock or tree to take shelter from the sizzling sun above them during the day. At night the temperature dropped into a much more comfortable range, although Dante and Juniper found it slightly cooler than they would have liked, what with being from a much warmer locale.

After 5 days of not seeing the careers or the District 3 pair, District 4 feared that they had teamed up. On the other hand, the career pack had not seen District 3 or District 5 during this time, and so wondered if they had made a four-way alliance. An answer came to Dante on day 7 when they were met with the pair from District 5 and the pair from District 3, who were clearly advancing on them. Naturally, they decided that between fight or flight, they would choose flight. However, it turned out that they were 'pursuing' the pair for non-hostile reasons. They wanted Spartan, Cynthia, Brock, and Severa dead just as much as Dante and Juni did.

And thus the two-pronged hunt began, as Dante learned that their names were Sterling and Misha. The career pack cut down two more tributes, leaving all but two of the tributes from the six outer districts dead. The only other one that had somehow evaded capture was a tiny little girl from District 12, who had clearly either allied herself with someone, or was so savvy with rocks and mining (something that did not seem likely considering her size and age) that she was surviving solo.

Dante and Juni's alliance soon learned the hard way what had happened. On the 8th day, Olivia attacked them, with little Lark Velasco at her side. Her cute charm made her hard to attack, but also because she wasn't attacking. She was carrying a bag and tossing things from it to Olivia, which turned out to be grenades. Olivia was the one pushing the offensive with these explosive devices, some of which blew up almost like bombs, while others seemed to release smoke or shocks.

District 12 was still full of rebels, even nearly a quarter century after the Dark Days. A lot of the citizens from this district worked undercover and built these sort of sabotage devices, and similarly, taught their children the tricks of the trade. Lark was one of these children apparently, and it seemed that in return for protection, she was making these for Olivia. Besides, the demure but dangerous District 9 girl was proving to be quite the menace with these explosives. Misha and the District 5 pair did not survive the fight. Somehow Olivia had survived despite copious injuries—the girl was annoyingly difficult to kill. To make matters worse, as the survivors suddenly went into hot pursuit of Olivia (who had practically thrown Lark over her shoulders and ran while carrying her), they ran into the career pack, who saw easy pickings. The pursuit began afresh.

There was a three day game of hide-and-seek, in which Sterling, Cynthia, and Brock were slain. Spartan also met his demise on the 10th day at the hands of Olivia, who was somewhat devastated at the death of her little bomb-crafting partner Lark at the District 1 boy's hands.

Through all of this, however, Dante remained alive and well. He and his partner Juni were both still alive, and thus his abilities to defend her still stood. Unfortunately, Night 11 was where Juniper met her demise at the hands of Severa, whom Dante immediately locked into combat with, pursuing and combatting the girl late into the night until she had been bested, and Dante stood triumphantly over her as the sun rose on the 12th Morning. Realizing that he was in no condition to fight Olivia in his current state, he found a reclusive hiding spot near a good clean water source, and rested for a full day.

Luckily for him, Olivia either could not find him or did not hunt for him during this time. It was the 15th morning before the two tributes were rested enough to hunt for and fight each other, which they did. Unlike most of the other battles though, these two seemed to have a mutual understanding.

"You seem a decent person;" Dante noted, "I'd hate to kill you."  
"You seem a decent person," Olivia replied. "I'd hate to die."  
their blades clashed, since Olivia was devoid of the District 12 grenades that Lark had crafted. Slowly, Dante began to gain the upper hand, and eventually got Olivia to the ground.

"That was an amazing fight," she exclaimed.

"Amazing indeed," Dante nodded. "I'm sorry it had to be this way."  
"As am I," Olivia sighed, clutching her chest, glancing forlornly at her sword, which had been knocked from her hand and was now out of reach. She had been so close to securing a victory for District 9—a victory that they sorely needed.

…and yet she did not consider it the end of the line just yet. As Dante raised his blade to give her a quick and painless execution, she grabbed a rock and threw it at his head, striking him and knocking him down. This was all the time she swift and graceful grail district girl needed.

"Nothing personal…" she whispered, and as she cut his throat, it was as if he was about to nod. It had been a good fight, but it had had to come to an end somewhere. With his death ringing out, Olivia Thurman had become the 1st victor from District 9, and the 24th victor of the games overall.

Like many from her district, Olivia turned to drinking some of the finest beers the district had to offer, and while it may have inhibited her mentor skills, she was smarter than she let on. Victors and mentors came and went, and yet she persisted, getting to know each and every one of them that came before her, and each one that came after her. She had proven many times in the arena that she flat-out refused to die, and thus she had emerged as the champion. This resilience may have helped her beer-consuming habits, and may have also played a part in her longevity. Whatever the case, a district "full of drunk farmers" had just proven that they could produce a victor—a victor from District 9 who had scored a 9 and had slain 9 tributes in the arena. It was a nifty coincidence, but it was the name of the game…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)


	25. The 25th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _At last, one of the most hotly anticipated chapters of "The Victors' Chronicles" has arrived! I actually had this chapter written several chapters in advance, but I obviously couldn't put it out of order. Some of you may already know the victor, but here is the story of how they got where they did. Ladies and Gentlemen... here is the pivotal 1st Quarter Quell chapter and how it actually played out._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 25th Annual Hunger Games**

The Capitol was consistent with a few prominent things as it retained its iron grip on Panem. One of these were the annual Hunger Games, which, to the Districts, was little more than a death pageant. Another, however, was a reminder of their power. Sometimes, the two of these things mixed.

The 25th Annual Hunger Games was one of them. Dubbed a "Quarter Quell", this would be a special Hunger Games where the rules were slightly altered. To everyone's shock and disgust, the rule change this year involved the districts having to choose their own tributes to send to the arena—a grim reminder that the rebels sent their children to their deaths during the first rebellion.

In many of the districts, this did not sit well. A few nominated the boy and girl they felt were most likely to win, while in others, such as Districts 5, 9, and 12, the unpopular kids were chosen. Levi Darron ("It's Leh-vee" he informed the others) and Laurel Fox were some of these, with both of them, particularly the latter, being fairly belligerent, even towards each other.

The two tributes actually had to be pulled apart from each other on the District 12 stage so that they wouldn't strangle each other before the Games had begun, because with the new rule twist, this year's Hunger Games would be more exciting than the ones before it, which meant that the tributes would surely be groomed in all kinds of ways. This theory proved true in the next couple of days, where the parade was considered by far and wide the best one that Panem had ever seen. Even Districts 11 and 12, which usually had the 'lesser' stylists, shone that night, and it was clear that these Quarter Quells would become one of the more glorious events and twists to happen in the Hunger Games.

Tributes had various scores over the next few days, but many of them scored on the high end. Laurel surprised everyone by scoring an 11, while the boy from District 2, a strapping fellow named Remus McAuliffe, wowed the crowds by scoring a perfect 12. A little research on the young man revealed that he had been training to be a Peacekeeper, like many in District 2, and that his name was chosen not from lack of popularity (the opposite seemed closer to the truth), but from people believing that he could win. If not him, District 2 felt that Valerie Mason, their female tribute, would stand a chance. Her score of 11 as well, seemed to support this claim.

Districts 2 and 12 were not the only ones with a viable presence in the 25th games, however. District 11 produced April Carlin and Pablo Brown, a pair of fighters who both scored 9s; while other districts like 1, 3, 4, and 5 also all scored 8s or higher.

But of course, for all the glitz and glamour that happened before the games, nothing truly mattered until they reached the arena, where the eager Capitol awaited to see what the Gamemakers would have in store this time. This year's arena was breathtaking. It appeared to be something like an abandoned city that was overgrown with flowers and trees, meshing the urban and the rural in one picturesque landscape. On the other hand, tributes were wary of something this beautiful, figuring that it might be a trap of sorts—more than just the deathtrap that all Hunger Games arenas were.

The gong rang out to signal the start of the quell, and 8 children picked by their peers would never come home. The others began to explore the arena to get a good idea of what it entailed. Some thought that it was the remnants of District 13 after 25 years, but others dismissed that theory, reminding themselves that there were toxic bombs dropped on it that were still smouldering to this day.

Laurel surprised the others by sniping her own partner Levi on the night of the 2nd day, shortly after the three additional tributes' faces showed up in the sky. It seemed tactical to the others. Now there were 23½ hours they would have to wait before they got to see who had died.

The career pack, which consisted of Valerie and the tributes from District 1, was having a bit of trouble with a particularly pesky girl from District 3. This girl, Ratchet Clancy, utilized the urban aspects of the landscape to her advantage, and her quick wit saved her from the clutches of the three careers well enough. After finding shelter again from a well-constructed trap that Ratchet had set off, District 1's Cherrie Pajaro was fuming. Two more tributes had died, and the careers blamed Ratchet (even though footage would later reveal that one was killed by Laurel).

"That's it…" the District 1 girl huffed, "Ratchet needs to die, and if we can't bring Remus back into the pack, then we need to find more allies to help take her down."  
"What makes you think we'll be able to even get more of those allies," Valerie sneered, "we've still got District 11 to worry about, no less."  
"Don't forget about crazy-girl from '12," Cherrie's partner warned, "she could—"

Almost as if she had been watching the whole time, Laurel's arrow sank into the back of the boy's head, popping out of his forehead as he fell over dead. Glancing up near where the roof of the ruined building had once been, they saw her just enough to dash out of sight.

Laurel's scheme was a fairly low blow, but it was effective nonetheless. She sprinted through the camp of a District 5 boy, and right as he got up to chase her, the careers smashed through, killing him on sight.

It was the 5th morning before any signs of life apart from the now 8 remaining tributes began to emerge. Large, moss-covered rock monsters resembling golems began to emerge from the rocky ground, or from the sides of buildings, or anywhere where plant life and stone met. The boy from District 10 lost his life to these monsters. Remus nearly died the next day, and perhaps he would have, had he not been saved by Laurel, of all people. Prior to this, the two tributes had been working alone.

"Why did you save me?" he tilted his head.

"Ah lahk you," Laurel replied, her thick accent showing prominently in her words, "Nuh-nuh, not lahk tha… Ah mean…" she scratched her head awkwardly, "y'er not lahk th'others. Most've 'em seem kinda lahk assholes. If Ah dun' win, Ah kinda hope you do."  
"I am surprised." Remus admitted, "that is bold coming from a girl from District 12, but I appreciate your proposition. I see no reason why we cannot work together at least for a time. I heard that District 11 has joined up with Valerie and Cherrie in their search for Ratchet."  
Remus and Laurel knew of Ratchet's treachery just the same, and Laurel had nearly lost an arm to one of that nefarious girl's traps.

"All th'more reason t'stick t'gether," Laurel suggested, "we gotta take 'em down."

Nearly a week passed without much in the way of events. Pablo and April helped the others defeat the rock monsters that occasionally popped in to harass them, and so thus far, they had not taken another life, but it did leave every surviving tribute (except perhaps Ratchet) warier than usual.

With Valerie and Cherrie using April and Pablo as scouts, Remus and Laurel quickly found a way to turn this against them. Remus did most of the talking, while Laurel kind of helped him plan it beforehand. She was not terribly charismatic, while Remus definitely was.

He managed to convince them that they were doing the dirty work, and that they didn't care about killing Ratchet as much as they just wanted to not be killed by District 11.

"That went well." Remus couldn't help but crack a chuckle later that evening as Valerie and Cherrie's faces appeared in the sky. April's cannon had gone off as well, meaning she had either died in the fight, or that Ratchet had found them. By this point, there were only 4 tributes left, and the Quell had been going on for 14 days.

Day 15 saw Pablo's death, which meant that Ratchet was back on the move. Laurel and Remus contemplated the notion of turning on each other, and surprisingly, both of them seemed to accept it.

"May the best tribute win," Remus indicated, and Laurel nodded.

"Ah couldn't say it better mahself," she smiled. "Still… we gots Ratchet to worry 'bout, so Ah woodn't be lettin' y'er guard down too soon, y'know?"

"Of course," Remus clutched his sword as Laurel kept her bow out, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

However, day 16 would prove that neither Laurel nor Remus would have to worry about killing each other. Both of them had been so worked up expecting Ratchet to try and lure them into a trap that even Remus had overlooked the cunning girl's fighting skills, and ended up with a knife in his back as Laurel spun around to confront her enemy. However, Ratchet's plan had succeeded. Now Laurel was so worked up about her attacking that she all but forgot about the girl's trap-building skills as she gave chase. Ratchet seemed too quick darting among the roofs of old buildings and scaling some of the derelict walls, and soon Laurel was left trailing behind. However, later that evening, she managed to catch that District 3 girl rigging up one of the buildings with traps, clearly meant for her. Deciding that she would only get one shot at this, she pulled her arrow and shot Ratchet's hand—the rest of her body was concealed or blocked by other material.

Ratchet cried out, losing her balance on the ruined wall she had been sitting on, and tumbled to the ground, triggering all kinds of demonic mechanisms that eventually chain reacted into an explosion that brought down the entire building, and putting Ratchet Clancy's face into the sky. Just like that, the 1st Quarter Quell had ended. Laurel had just become the 1st victor from District 12, and the 25th victor of the games overall.

Laurel never really liked the state of District 12 before the games; and so after them, she was even more cautious. She was aloof and sometimes disappeared for long periods of time, ultimately disappearing for good nearly 50 years after her games. Either way, she was known as a legend in District 12 for proving that even the poorest district of Panem still had a chance at winning the games, and that even with the sadistic rule twists on an already traumatizing game, they still had a shot at victory and survival.

Still—Laurel missed Remus more than her own partner Levi, remembering the honorable way that that career tribute had fought and died. If more Peacekeepers were like him, she thought, then perhaps Panem would be a better place.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)


	26. The 26th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Don't think that with the quell gone that there won't be any more interesting chapters till the next one or the next canon character shows up. I've got a few ideas up my sleeve that will keep this plenty entertaining, rest assured. Also, obviously the Cressida in this chapter is not the one from the books. It's just a girl that shares the same name._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 26th Annual Hunger Games**

After the thrilling events that were entailed in Panem's first "Quarter Quell", the Capitol began to wonder if they could top a show like that. Of course, they could continue to step up the traps and hazards, and make the arenas more breathtaking, but there was only so much they could do with the tributes from Districts 5-12 that almost never produced volunteers of any sort, thus leaving their pickings up to chance. More often than not, it seemed, they produced weaker children unsuited for fighting. It wasn't that aspect that the Capitol worried about, quite as much as the quality of the show that they could produce. The Gamemakers needed to dazzle the audiences again and again for these games to be worthwhile, although "luckily" for them, they were far from losing momentum.

Thus when the 26th Annual Hunger Games rolled around, the Capitol had upgraded a few things. The training center had been revamped with up-to-date and top-of-the-line facilities and technology, and the training time period was extended to 5 days up from 3. With a sort of 'drive to survive' motif going in in this building, many of the tributes were motivated to work harder to ensure their own survival.

Then of course, there were the careers, who took pride and pleasure in the games, and had no qualms with fighting off other children. Many of them had been training to be Peacekeepers, particularly in District 2, and so they were inching ahead of their District 1 counterparts very gradually in terms of performance. Daron Armstrong and his partner Cressida LaRoue were among these.

On the other hand, the Capitol did not want to remove the survival element from the games, knowing that if they made it solely based on combat that the games would be over in just a few hours as the strong kids mowed down the weaker kids. No, there was definitely a survival element necessary to keep the Hunger Games from being a repetitive ritual where District 2 kids killed everyone else year after year with the occasional District 1 victor thrown in.

After their recent victory, Vance and Sienna, the pair from District 12, were a bit more prepped than most of their predecessors had ever been. They did manage to scare a few of the other tributes in the training center by painting their faces red with what appeared to be blood. Obviously none of the tributes showed any physical injury, and while it was clear that these two had been over at the camouflage station, there were no signs of their red concoction.

Most of the others figured that they might end up being bloodbath fodder, although the arena changed that mindset fairly quickly. Surrounding all of them was a dense forest that appeared to be rife with game and other creatures. It seemed that there were going to be elements of both combat and survival embedded in these games.

While it was not as infamous as the games 16 years ago where there were only weird-shaped maces in the cornucopia, this year there was nothing there but weapons of all kinds. Any kind of weapon the tributes could imagine or think of could be found there, and a certain District 6 girl even found a crossbow, putting it to great use during the bloodbath.

12 tributes died on this first day, cutting the tribute pool in half by nightfall. The careers, who were not used to hunting and foraging for their own food, had a bit more trouble that year than usual, while those District 12 kids were right at home. They did manage to ambush the girl from District 1 later in the evening, where their faces and arms were already painted red with blood and their feet were bare. It was almost as if the arena had turned them feral, but their performance was hard to argue with. Vance and Sienna seemed to both be doing well.

The advance of the careers was hindered when the District 1 boy's partner triggered a trap set up by District 11, and then was finished off by the girl with the crossbow. Cressida managed to take it from her by lodging a knife into her skull and retrieving the weapon.

"What do you call it when you kill someone and take their stuff," Cressida quipped to her partner,

"Tuesday," Daron grunted, giving Cressida a decent chuckle. Daron was waiting quietly for his time to strike. He hoped not to have to turn on Cressida, but he would if it came down to it. That was what the careers did. Unfortunately, there was that District 12 pair to worry about, and the pair from District 7 had not been seen since the bloodbath.

Days passed, and whatever threat the District 7 pair was, soon dissipated with their deaths. However, Vance and Sienna were still at large, as were three others. Gradually, the pairs from Districts 2 and 12 eliminated the remainder of the competition, culminating in a 4-day game of hide-and-seek that ended on day 15 as the two groups confronted each other and did battle. As Daron fought, he also "accidentally" slashed at Cressida, who was strong enough to shrug it off with little more than a "watch it, jerk!" as the fight continued.

Vance was bested shortly after Sienna, and it was around this time that Cressida had realized what Daron had done.

"You sly bastard…" she wheezed, a bit winded herself, "but I ain't giving up without a fight."

"I'd expect nothing less from a woman so much my equal," Daron agreed, "come, let us finish it."  
And a fight was exactly what she gave, her steel clashing against Daron's as the boy fought for dominance. He finally was able to succeed in this regard by nearly lopping off her arm, where he managed to stall her out as she bled out. As soon as Cressida's face hit the sky, the games had ended. Daron was now the 5th victor from District 2, and the 26th victor of the Hunger Games.

Despite 'backstabbing' his partner during the games, Daron had held no grudges against her, and later even admitted that he would have been fine if she had bested him. Really, the games came down to smarts, strength, and survival skills: three "S"s that he coined during his victor's interview. Even back at home though, Daron remained a fairly quiet young man, who always seemed to have a scheme or two up his sleeve. Now that they were two victors 'ahead' of District 1 though, he had helped establish a trend that District 2 would continue to dominate for years to come…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)


	27. The 27th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There will obviously be a lot of career victories down the road and whatnot, as well as new twists on old tricks. while this year's games don't feature a canon character, fear not-there are several of them on their way within a few games or so. Just something to think about._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 27th Annual Hunger Games**

With the hype of the recent Quarter Quell beginning to die down, the Hunger Games resumed their normal routine just as they had for the last two and a half decades. The 27th Annual Hunger Games was among these, bringing the basics of the games back to their roots.

District 1 was not too satisfied with being bested by District 2, however, and so even though they would still end up forming the usual career alliance, Everlee Tiverto and Cobalt Evans had something of a competitive rivalry between their District 2 counterparts, Carter Woodman and Chelsea Stone, but they formed the usual career pack just as they had most other years.

An odd alliance between Districts 6 and 7 also formed during the training sessions, where Drake Tucson and Rosalina Mahariel formed a type of allegiance with each other and their partners that mixed the craftiness of the District 6 tributes with the survival skills of the District 7 pair. The fact that these four tributes scored 8s and 9s (compared against the 9s and 10s of the career pack) meant that they might actually be a force to be reckoned with.

The arena seemed fairly ordinary, almost as if the Capitol was really going back to their old meadow and woods combination of arena styles that they had used many times in the last three decades. The cornucopia seemed fairly stocked with food, but to the surprise of the careers, the pairs from '6 and '7 were able to hold them off completely and take control of it themselves, fending off the kids from Districts 11 and 3 just as well.

It was not enough to shake D1F and the rest of her pack though. They would get their revenge on the others for stealing the cornucopia—or so they thought. There were still 16 tributes that had survived the 8-casualty bloodbath, after all.

Two days into the games, and it seemed that the craftiness of the District 6 and District 7 pairs was unmatched as they secured the cornucopia for themselves, leaving the career pack wandering through the woods. Three more tributes had been killed at this point, but they had gotten the easy way out, for it was later that night where the real trouble began.

While Drake and Rosalina were out scouting the surrounding area, their partners were attacked by mutts that could only be described as "flaming monkeys" and "lightning lions". Before they could react, the lions had zapped their way through the defenses, and with the help of the monkeys, had set fire to the whole place, leaving two dead tributes and a blackened grass patch around the cornucopia and the ruined supplies. The careers experienced a similar attack later on the 4th afternoon, but they were armed and much more prepared. While Drake and Rosalina's traps would have kept even an armed tribute out for a few moments, the sheer power of the fire and electricity ruined their day right quickly. By contrast, the careers found themselves facing black, bipedal cat-like creatures with claws so frigid that it nearly caused frostbite when Carter was slashed by one. Worse than those, however, were the spiky rabbit/porcupine creatures that spat acid or shot their toxic needles at the tributes. These took a lot more skill to fend off, but apart from a few injuries that were able to be resolved with some basic first aid thanks to Cobalt's knowledge, were enough to keep the career pack from dying so early.

Despite their dangerous habits, the cats were actually rather tasty (if not a bit cold) and even the rabbits were edible once the poison was boiled out. The last tribute from District 10 was cut down by the wandering marauders during the 5th morning, and it was around this time that they tried to make their way back to the cornucopia.

To their surprise, Drake and Rosalina had abandoned it, but after a quick look around, it was clear why—the scorched grass and burnt, empty supply crates were enough to indicate that they had been attacked by something fiery. Given their recent encounter with the cats and rabbits, they figured at once that it was probably some other kind of mutts.

Carter's injury worked against him later that evening when it slowed him down after the group got pursued by vicious purple fox mutts which, much like the rabbits, spat poisonous acid which ended up being the boy's undoing. Day 7 saw Everlee meet her end by the electric lions, and Day 8 was the end of Chelsea by Rosalina's traps. She did not live to see the night once Cobalt was done with her.

If anything, these games were going by too fast with the inclusion of so many mutts. Perhaps it would be a lesson to the Capitol for next time, given how many tributes were unable to outsmart these deadly creatures. Other times they were simply overwhelmed by the number of these monsters at once. The games this year wound up being 9½ days in length—Cobalt drove his spear through Drake's chest shortly after he had eaten one of those cat mutts for breakfast, thus ending the games. As a result, he became the 5th victor from District 1, and the 27th victor of the games overall.

Naturally, Cobalt was not a big animal fan after his games, but he remained fairly mentally stable apart from his slight phobia of quadrupeds, and remained fairly proud like so many career tributes were. The victor disparity between District 1 and District 2 had been evened for the time, but only time would tell how long that would last…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)


	28. The 28th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Enter Commander Lyme, a rebellious District 2 victor seen a bit in 'Mockingjay'. Always the leader with a commanding presence, some things don't change over the years or decades. Obviously something of a spoiler alert, but at the same time, anyone who knew Lyme would know that she would win the moment they first saw her name._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 28th Annual Hunger Games**

The competitive spirit seen in Districts 1 and 2 was rather prevalent at this point in history, especially with them being neck-in-neck in terms of number of victories. District 2 seemed to catch these trends first, and then District 1 would cleverly imitate them shortly afterwards. It was a fairly sound strategy when all was said and done, considering that District 1 had practically repeated District 2's results over the last several years.

But perhaps the 28th Annual Hunger Games would be different. The volunteers this year were imposing—Felix Score and Lyme Golding were both tall, strong, and had the makings of good leaders written all over their appearances. As promising as the District 1 pair seemed to be, even they wound up falling for Lyme's charisma in particular, where even Felix conceded that she was the better tactician.

During her interview, Lyme left another powerful impression when she said that she would form an alliance and lead them like soldiers into battle. What few people knew was that she was one of the few people in District 2 that did not show much loyalty to the Capitol, and so her words were an underhanded attack towards them. However, nothing became of this, and so instead, people knew Lyme for being one of the few tributes to ever score a perfect 12 in training. Her partner Felix racked up an 11, and the pair from District 1 both scored 10s. Some of the older victors from District 1 were a bit miffed at this, figuring that since Lyme was leading the pack this year, that if a career tribute won, it would most likely be her.

One of the first surprises of the games was that shortly after the initial bloodbath, Lyme cornered the two tributes from District 3. Instead of killing them on the spot, she extended an offer of allegiance to them, which they graciously accepted. Lyme still felt that she would have to keep a close eye on them to ensure that they did not wind up stabbing her in the back—after all, the relationship between District 3 and Districts 2 and 1 was an interesting one. '1 and '2 formed the well-known career pack, and were loyal to the Capitol for the most part, while District 3, while cunning and clever, were much more rebellious in nature than their counterparts. As such, this behavior passed on to their tributes, where the kids from District 3 would often try to defect or backstab the career pack late into the games, with moderate success. District 4 had a similar strategy, for similar reasons, and since Lyme knew this, she was going to keep an eye out for them if they survived the bloodbath.

While the tributes from Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 all survived the bloodbath, 10 tributes did not, and thus the games had kicked off and into action. The arena was a peculiar piece of work that had Lyme deep in thought. To the south were lush, green fields and gorgeous vistas, while to the north there appeared to be a barren, inhospitable desert. Naturally, almost all of the tributes went south, leaving the career pack in charge of the cornucopia, considering that it was stocked with food and supplies that would probably last about 2 or 3 days. The careers always had at least one weakness—unlike the outer districts, they were not too adept at going without food for long periods of time. Occasionally, this was used against them, but Lyme was not about to let that happen.

The six tributes kept watch over the next three days, noting that over this time, 4 more tributes died. Lyme wondered what might have been doing them in, but since District 4 and District 5 were also still out there, she did not want to compromise her position. It was only after the food ran out on the 5th morning that they made their move, heading south into the lush green forest. Under Lyme's leadership, a fight commenced between Districts 3, 2, and 1 against Districts 4 and to their surprise, District 11. This was complicated by a couple of snipers from District 5 that surprise attacked the District 1 pair and injured the District 3 boy, but Felix used a throwing axe to take one of them out while Lyme took the other out by throwing her sword after cutting down the girl from District 4. Her sword actually struck the boy with the hilt instead of the blade, but it knocked him out of his tree and she was able to use this opportunity to finish him off. The boy from '4 and the kids from '11 managed to escape, and so the remnants of the career pack went on the prowl. The boy from District 3 died that evening from injuries he had sustained earlier, and by the 7th morning, they realized that they were rather hungry. Their water supplies had been depleted, and Felix discovered (the easy way, luckily for him), that the brooklet in the area was poisonous.

A rift formed among the three remaining careers as Lyme suggested that they go north, while the other two insisted that they remain in the southern section and try to find safe food and water.

"It's already day 8 and there are only 7 of us left," Felix argued, "clearly if '4 and '11 have been able to survive down here just fine, then there's something to be said about this place. We just need to look harder."

For Lyme, this was not a good enough answer though. "I don't think that they would design part of the arena for no reason," she suggested, "but if we want to break up right now, then let's do so on peaceful terms. May the odds be ever in your favor."

Thus, with a simple handshake, Felix and Lyme parted ways, with the girl from '3 following the former of the two. Lyme headed northward, past the cornucopia clearing and up into the hostile desert. To her utter surprise, she found a beautiful oasis in no time, with pure, clean water and trees bearing an abundance of fruit of all kinds. A little further exploration had her discover several more of these little oases, which to her explained a lot. Similarly, it did not surprise her all that much when over the next few days, she saw the faces of her two former allies appear in the sky. Her theory of there not being any real food and water south of the cornucopia had apparently been a valid concern, but it also meant that whatever tributes were still out there had to come north if they had wanted to survive.

As such, Lyme organized a complex series of traps and tricks to catch them off guard, and managed to do just that over the next few days, finishing the games after 13 days. Lyme Golding thus became the 6th victor from District 2, and the 28th victor of the Hunger games.

Lyme's charisma did not fade even after her games, and although she still held a certain disdain for the Capitol, she did not act upon it much more than gathering a few like-minded people in District 2 that were something of an anti-Capitol faction. Some said that this was the true origin of the rebellion, while others claimed that the rebellion that had failed 28 years ago would one day rise again. Whatever the case, Lyme's cunning and charisma had won her the Hunger Games, and thus her wisdom would prove useful for career tributes to come.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)


	29. The 29th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Apologies for the very lengthy delay on this fic. my muse and inspiration had left a while back as I pursued original fiction works, but I am not the type to flake out and not finish a fanfic. As such, here is the next chapter in the series. I know that Seeder, Wiress, and Beetee are all coming up soon, and so is Leto, a District 2 character that I have spoken a lot about, as "the Terror of the 35th". So sit tight and fear not. Zulera301 is still around, and I'm gonna finish this story if it kills me._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 29th Annual Hunger Games**

Despite the twists and quirks of the last few years' arenas, the Capitol was never done trying to improve upon their old formula, which had kept crowds (at least among the Capitol) amused for nearly three decades. With each new passing year, they came up with something different.

As a result, the 29th Annual Hunger Games were a twist in the myth as well. Gilliam Lemongrass from District 1 led the career pack that year, all of whom managed to score 9s and 10s in training. Districts 7 and 5 also proved to be contenders this year, with the boy and girl from the former scoring a 9 and an 8, and the latter two scoring 8s as well. Gilliam did not possess the same power and charisma that the victor Lyme had from the year before but he did show promising potential.

This proved to be further true as he slew three tributes in the bloodbath alone, getting him and his crew off to a good start. The District 7 pair, on the other hand, managed to escape into the forest, although both Gideon DeVora and Ash LosDias kept their guard up. They didn't think that this would just be an ordinary forest. Perhaps it would be like one from a few years ago, which, while dark and eerie, had been devoid of animal life, and instead would just have an ominous road circling the place.

Such did not appear to be the case this time around. Instead, the trees were infested with hundreds of monkey mutations of various colors. Some of them seemed to be color-coded. There were red ones that spewed fire, yellow ones that could use their tails to shock tributes with powerful electric jolts, blue ones that shot out icy gusts from their hands, and green ones that were poisonous to touch. The only ones that tributes could not figure out the secret to were the brown ones. Maybe these were just normal monkeys, even if they were fairly aggressive. The 'elemental' monkeys were a right nuisance though. 8 tributes died in the bloodbath, but another 5 died by the 2nd morning either because of other tributes or because of these monkeys.

On the other hand, food was scarce, and so many of the careers found themselves lacking too. It was Ash that finally got the idea to try eating the monkeys, but she knew better than to try the elemental ones—those poisonous green monkeys were certain death.

Ash showed the Capitol what she could do with just a small hatchet, surviving well into the 6th day when there were only 5 tributes left. While Gilliam was still alive himself, his career pack had been decimated by the electric monkeys, and by a "peace offering" given to them, by a District 3 boy. He had killed and cooked one of the poisonous monkeys, and sure enough after they ate it, the pair from District 2 keeled over. Gilliam's own cautiousness had prevented him from receiving an untimely death like that, and as such he put the boy from District 3 down with a well-aimed spear.

Gideon, however, did not want to see another career victory, when the last three games had been won by someone from District 1 or District 2. As such, he kept his alliance with Ash up, and the two of them went on the prowl to try and take down Gilliam, spending the next 4 days trying to find him (during which time only one other tribute, a boy from District 9, died).

They were beaten to the punch though. While hiding in the trees, they witnessed him being attacked by some of the ice monkeys, but then saw him get picked off completely by a girl from District 4 who lodged a trident firmly in his back. Gideon wasted no time in jumping down to attack her, while Ash watched from the trees. There were only three tributes left at this point, which meant Ash's cunning was setting her up to be the victor. However, despite Gideon's alliance with her up until this point, he realized this too and didn't want to sacrifice himself. Both he and the District 4 girl stopped and threw their weapons at her so suddenly that they struck her—right in the palms…

…with the handles. Catching the axe in her left hand and the trident in her right, Ash jumped from the tree, planting the trident in the girl and the axe in the boy.

"I'm sorry, Gideon," she whispered as the two tributes took their last breaths. Ash stood alone above them, and was crowned the champion of the monkey-infested arena. Ash LosDias had become the 3rd victor from District 7, and the 29th victor of the games overall.

She managed to remain fairly normal in comparison to some of the other tributes and victors that had emerged from the traumatic and deadly Hunger Games arenas, but naturally, she was not terribly fond of monkeys after that. The bright colors of their fur were also off-putting, but luckily for her, she was from the lumber district and not the textile district, and so most of her colors were dark greens and browns instead of bright arrays of colors like District 8 had. Her cunning put her right up there with her mentor Leah in terms of respect, however, and the two became good friends.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)


	30. The 30th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Sorry for the delay. My profile explains part of it, and a huge writer's block explains the rest. Back on topic though, this is a slightly more gruesome chapter, with the way things ended at least. I have the next few chapters planned out (and at least one other closely-upcoming chapter written, and can assure you that Wiress and Beetee are very close to getting their stories posted. In the meantime, here's who won the 30th Hunger Games._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 30th Annual Hunger Games**

The wild and gruesome attacks from all the monkeys in the year pervious were an inspiration to the nefarious Gamemakers, who decided to step things up for the next year's games. While they claimed that this was what they did every year, it was clear that this was truer in some years than others.

The 30th Annual Hunger Games might not have been a Quarter Quell, but it was one of those years that proved to be one of the real shockers, and was rooted deep in the notion of dangerous mutts and arenas, as well as gruesome deaths.

The careers had their usual high odds, with District 1's Clyde and Aqua gaining rather high scores. Their mentors, Gleam and Cobalt, were lining up sponsors for them already. Meanwhile over in District 2, Lyme and Daron were fixing their tributes, Parker and Azura, up with similar results.

On the other hand, there was District 8, which, almost as if to try and show up the careers, had produced a promising duo as well. The boy, Blaine Hensen, actually scored as high as the career tributes, putting his odds rather high up there. The girl, Challis Worth, scored more moderately, but despite her timidness, it seemed that she knew what she was doing.

The cornucopia clearing was eerily resemblant of the one from the previous year, and the thick trees surrounding the area gave tributes the impression that it might be another one of the déjà vu Hunger Games, similar to how the 11th and 12th ones were. However, tributes that ventured into these wilds soon found out that it was nothing like the leafy forests of the previous year. Instead, they were greeted with a hostile marsh-style landscape that was downright evil. Unfortunately for Challis, her partner, whom she had intended to ally with early on in the games, was slaughtered in the bloodbath by a sickle-wielding girl from District 9 of all places.

However, with the careers on the prowl, Challis had to run, and very little of the arena was safe, especially since the careers had commandeered the cornucopia as usual, leaving the other tributes to fend for themselves out in the deadly marshes. Toxic plants grew everywhere, and the first evening was filled with the painful howls of tributes who made the mistake of not properly identifying these plants and learning the hard way that they were painful or deadly. The District 9 girl that slew Blaine lost her partner to Alligator mutts on the 2nd morning, driving her far away from any water, and more into trees, where she squared off against tributes from District 7 instead, having moderate success.

The arena turned out be surprisingly vast, which spread the tributes out rather thin. The strong and fast ones were able to evade the Capitol's traps and mutts long enough, utilizing trees and dry land to evade most of the monsters, and quick feet to avoid the other hazards the Gamemakers cooked up.

By the 5th day only 9 tributes remained, which meant that 3 other tributes had died after the 12 that had originally died during the bloodbath or that first evening. Among these were Challis, that District 9 girl, the four careers, and a District 3 boy named Gadge. The girl from District 9 managed to take out Clyde before being shot down by Azura. Battles were short and infections were common, but a lot of sponsors were dropping first-aid kids and antidotes to help support and preserve the lives of their favorite tributes, bringing each one a step closer to returning home as others fell around them.

Over the next four days, Azura, that girl from District 9, and the other two tributes all lost their lives either to the arena's treachery, or at the hand of another tribute. Challis and Gadge had teamed up, using Challis' stealth and light feet to get around, and Gadge's knowledge of tools and toxins to create a poisonous superweapon that he had used to help take out some of the other tributes. Even if it was two against two though, the two urban kids knew that they would be inevitably outmuscled by Parker and Aqua. This was only made worse when the arena's borders began to contract, forcing a confrontation between the four tributes in one of the dangerous bogs. Gadge and Challis wound up fighting off alligator mutts that had followed Aqua and Parker into the area, and here was where the final confrontation would take place. Thinking quick, Gadge jumped from his vantage point and launched his weapon into the bog, hoping that it would explode and kill the careers on the spot, but instead, it turned the entire bog acidic, where the feet of the tributes in the murk began to be eaten by the acid. Challis froze, staying where she was as she watched the remaining three tributes—including her short-lived friend Gadge—get consumed by the acid until there was nothing left. Three final cannons went off, and Challis was declared the victor on the spot. No hovercraft came for the remains of Parker, Aqua, or Gadge—there was nothing to collect. Only Challis remained, her chest heaving from the graphic deaths that she had just witnessed firsthand. Challis Worth had become the 2nd victor from District 8, and the 30th victor of the games overall.

After the incident, she was quiet and subdued for a while, the trauma of watching three other kids get their skin and flesh eaten right off their bodies as they disintegrated into a toxic mire of acid was enough to scare anyone away from odd colored liquids or unnatural shades of purple, green, red, or brown. Unsurprisingly, her choice of colors for her own attire were much more subdued after that, and she did not take kindly to hissing noises either. Challis did eventually recover, but the Hunger Games had permanently left their mark on her, and she knew no amount of time would ever heal those wounds…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)


	31. The 31st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And after a month of hiatus thanks to NaNoWriMo, I make a triumphant return to fanficcing, this time with another chapter of the Victors' Chronicles series. I mentioned earlier that Seeder, Wiress, and Beetee were coming up soon, and wasn't lying. Enter Beetee Latier, complete with a shoutout to Katniss' stunt in the Quarter Quell. There was a reason he had that idea, after all..._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 31st Annual Hunger Games**

While the evils of the previous year's arena had been a hit, the Capitol's desire to try out new ideas and keep things fresh was still on their minds. This year they were going to put another spin on an old trick.

The design of the 31st Annual Hunger Games was so deceptively simple that people did not even know what to expect. It seemed almost too simple, as if it was a throwback to the early games when the Gamemakers were still testing different plans out.

The career pack this year only consisted of Districts 1 and 2, while Ralis and Lacey from District 4 paired themselves up with the tributes from District 3 that year: Page Bryant and Beetee Latier. Districts 4, 2, and 1 all scored on the higher end of the scale, while District 3's scores were middling. The Gamemakers had not quite realized the full potential of smarts yet, although this year would likely change that. Conversely, the tributes from '12 and even '11 scored on the lower end this year, which meant they would not likely be much of a threat like they often were.

Once the games started, this wound up being true. The very lush meadow that they and the cornucopia were surrounded by was in turn encompassed by a dense jungle and overcast skies. As the tributes spread out and into the jungle, they occasionally heard cracks of lightning, as well as 9 cannons that went off later that evening. None of the kids beyond District 7 had survived the bloodbath this year except for a District 9 girl and a District 8 boy, and so the careers got to watch the hovercrafts come for the bodies that evening. They remained at the cornucopia, which was stocked with ample amounts of food and supplies this year.

While they had not broken their alliance, Ralis and Lacey were nowhere to be found as Page led the search with Beetee behind her. The jungle was difficult to navigate, and by the 2nd morning, the rains came. While Beetee seemed content with taking shelter and tinkering with the meager supplies he had lifted from the cornucopia bloodbath, Page seemed more restless. However, her requests to find their allies fell practically on deaf ears.

"If you want to brave the storm, I'm not going to stop you," Beetee pointed out, tampering with some metallic device in his hands, "I'm not about to stab you in the back or anything either, and so you'll know where to find me unless I get attacked."

Another cannon went off that night, revealing the death of a girl from District 7. This alarmed Page more than usual because the sound of the hovercraft that came to pick up the body sounded eerily close to them. It was difficult to tell because of the rain.

"Whoever killed that girl is probably waiting to ambush us." Page warned again, growing more impatient with her partner this time. Beetee simply looked up and shrugged.

"Tell you what," he suggested, the gears in his mind turning, "you take a look around if you so desire, and if the coast is clear I'll be happy to join you."

He had not meant to con his own partner here, but Paige took the words to heart, taking of to explore and leaving nothing of hers behind except an extra bow. In turn, he ended up rigging his area up in a fairly basic but effective trap. He might have been more used to metal, wire, and electronics, but he knew how to utilize vines, wood, and leaves thanks to some tricks he picked up in the week of training prior to the games. He remained alert so that he could warn Page of the trap should she approach, but after another day and a night passed, she did not return. No cannons had gone off, which meant that she was not dead, but he figured that something had prevented her from coming back. He wasn't a fighter, and so he knew that his only chance at survival would be to think like his opponents did—and then outsmart them.

The alliance between Districts 3 and 4 never panned out. On day 5, Page's face filled the sky, and Beetee was awoken only a few minutes after that by the sound of his trap going off, killing the District 6 boy that had triggered it.

Oddly enough, Beetee found himself being sponsored two items, one of which he didn't immediately recognize. The first item was wire, and he knew exactly what to do with that; the 2nd one turned out to be some sort of electric prod as he discovered, and he had a few ideas of what to do with this.

The next few days consisted of more cannons going off, including those for Ralis and Lacey. According to his calculations, that only left seven tributes: himself, and the kids from Districts 1, 2, and 5. He really hoped that the District 5 pair had not teamed up with the careers, because he knew that they were the most adept at electricity itself, even if District 3 usually surpassed them in knowledge of gadgets.

However, Beetee had a plan. As the others hunted for him, he returned to the cornucopia, attaching the wire to various parts of the large metal horn, and perching himself on top with the bow in one hand and the electric prod in another. With the storm and the lightning strikes, he had a high-risk, high-return plan in mind.

Sure enough, the six remaining tributes showed up and immediately surrounded him, even going as far as climbing atop the horn to prepare to kill him. A few swift calculations later, and Beetee's final gambit was unleashed. He rolled to one side, using the electric prod as an arrow, attached to the wire that was laid across and around the horn. He shot it skyward as he rolled to the ground. The long metal rod acted as a lightningrod, which caused a bolt of lightning to hit it, sending waves of electricity down the metal, through the water, and into the 6 tributes that had surrounded him, Beetee was a bit bruised from his fall off the cornucopia, but he was alive and well, while the others were electrocuted to death. Beetee Latier had become the 3rd victor from District 3, and the 31st victor of the games overall.

Beetee had never exactly been an outgoing fellow, and so his quietness was only offset by his genuine honesty. He told things exactly how they were, and had been a trustworthy ally for the short time he had been in an alliance. His affinity for wire and electronics did not fade at all after the games, and instead, he went into that sort of thing as a profession—where he left a considerable mark on the technological developments of Panem and District 3 as a result.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)


	32. The 32nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _We're still in the middle of that string of "Catching Fire" victors. Most of the games from here to at least around 50, are either canon characters we met in the 2nd and/or 3rd books, or are old victors that I've references in some of my other stories, such as the 91st, 92nd, or 93rd Hunger Games. That said, things might slow down during the holidays, but that's normal. I'm still scheduled to finish this story._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 32nd Annual Hunger Games**

After so many years of Hunger Games, the Capitol Gamemakers felt confident that they knew their way around making a thrilling arena to the point where they were no longer too concerned about producing a game that would be too boring or uninteresting. Of course, there was one consistent variable each year: the tributes that were taken to the arena. While they could almost always get volunteers from districts 1 and 2, and often get volunteers from '4, '3, and even '5, the tributes from the outer districts were always much less willing. Some years they felt like the tributes from the farthest and most rebellious districts like '11 and '12 were just saboteurs more than anything.

For the 32nd Annual Hunger Games, they actually looked formidable. District 12 produced Calder Liao and Viridi Kuro, a pair that both scored 9s in training, while District 11 produced Mario Deal and Azura Caroso, both of whom scored 9s. The career pack all scored around the same, with their only other competition being from District 5, where Jack Sanders scored a 9 and Fletch Crossley scored an 11. Both of them were recruited into that year's career pack, which caused an unusual reaction among the tributes from Districts 3 and 4. Instead of staying neutral like they often did when not recruited into the careers, they formed a faction with the tributes from '11 and '12.

The arena was eye candy to an extreme. Similar to the cave from a decade or so ago, this year's arena was dark and bioluminescent, except that instead of the cave, this was a jungle. Blues, greens, purples, and blacks surrounded them, which meant that it was not likely to ever become "morning" again. The cornucopia was surrounded by a canopy of glowing plants, brightly illuminating the weapons and supplies that lay within.

Despite the two large groups of tributes forming factions that year, Jack and the tributes from district 4 died in the bloodbath along with 7 others, bringing the bloodbath death toll up to 10 this year. Two nights later, this count was up to 16. Calder and Viridi had discovered how to taint the water, and so they poisoned the entire career pack apart from Fletch and the boy from District 2. In retaliation Fletch managed to electrocute Calder, also separating Viridi from Mario and Azura. She had quickly learned that the bioluminescence in some of the plants was not real, and that they were charged with electricity. As an electrician from District 5 herself, Fletch knew that this was her arena.

Despite these claims, Viridi was not to be fazed, even after the remaining two careers gave her last two allies a grizzly ending. The survivalist in her kept her hidden as Fletch rampaged through the arena. She managed to catch Fletch's District 2 friend off guard and kill him, which sent Fletch into something of a frenzy. The ensuing battle wound up costing Viridi her right arm, which proved to be a mistake. Since the tributes' trackers were located in their right arms, and Viridi's arm from the elbow down was now disconnected from her body, the tracker registered her as being dead. Since she knew how to conceal herself so well, the Capitol was unable to find her. They went on a body hunt, but fired the cannon anyways.

Night 7 saw Viridi's face in the sky, which caused the one-armed District 12 girl to laugh. She had managed to bind her old wound to prevent it from bleeding out, but she knew that she was out of commission at least for a couple days until she could numb the pain. She did actually get some medicine as a sponsor gift for outsmarting the Capitol, and Laurel actually even left her a note stealthily insulting them, reminding Viridi that rebellion was still alive and well out in District 12.

It wasn't until day 10 and only three tributes were left that the Capitol realized their mistake after catching Viridi wandering through the jungle. They couldn't just accidentally kill her, because it seemed that everyone else knew she was alive and she had many adoring fans at this point. On the other hand, they had to fairly let the other tributes know that she was still alive.

"_Attention tributes—a few days ago we made the mistake of announcing the death of Viridi Kuro of District 12. It has recently come to our attention that she is in fact still alive in the arena. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor!"_

Viridi was a bit miffed that they had given away one of her best-kept secrets, but even though they had spotted her, that didn't mean they could find her again. Initially, they started destroying parts of the arena through hazards to try and draw Viridi out and tried to motivate Fletch, the last remaining tribute, to find her (simply to let them fight to the death, rather than to try and force Fletch's hand), but had limited success. District 12 figured that despite their last tribute missing an arm, that they might have stood a chance this year.

Viridi knew that she would get cut down in single combat, and so she began working on sabotage, and on rigging up the arena in various ways to try and trap the District 5 girl. It came down to whoever caught the other first. If Fletch caught Viridi in combat, she would emerge the victor. If Viridi's traps caught Fletch, there was no doubt that she would win.

It took Fletch 5 days from the announcement for her to finally root out Viridi, where despite the difficulties the one-armed girl had given her, Fletch made it quick and ended it immediately. The gripping finale of the games had come and gone, rendering Fletch the 4th victor from District 5, and the 32nd victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Like many from District 5, Fletch returned to her old cunning ways, and helping to establish District 5 as a viable threat in terms of producing victors of the games. Rich but not careers, the intellectual whizzes that emerged from the district continued to play a formidable role in the games—much like the wily tributes from the outer districts or the clever tributes from '4 or '3. As such, the games went on. Still, there was talk buzzing around about Viridi from the 32nd hunger Games. If she could lose her tracker, perhaps there were other ways around that system too…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)


	33. The 33rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Happy New Year! With the holidays out of the way, I should resume a more regular updating schedule for this once again, especially as we near Chapter 35, which I have had prepared for quite some time now. Anyhoo... enter Seeder, another canon victor. All we know about her is thatshe won by being able to go without food the longest, but I'm certain that there's more to that, especially with District 11's fighting spirit and resilience. This is the way I figured it went down._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 33rd Annual Hunger Games**

The Hunger Games were not just about death and brutal murder, despite that that seemed to be what the Capitol highlighted during most of the reruns and arena footages. Sometimes, the games were about hunger, or sometimes even about survival. Sometimes this was stepped up a notch, to the point where surviving the harsh arena hazards became more prevalent than trying to seek and destroy the other tributes.

This became apparent during the 33rd Annual Hunger Games. The District 1 pair were as arrogant and confident as any other career tributes that had come down this path before them, and their scores of 11 and 10 respectively meant they would be formidable opponents. Their comrades from District 2 were hardly different.

On the other hand, District 11 was set to become a pair of renegades similar to Viridi Kuro from the previous year. Josh Gerry and Seeder Howell were a hardy pair of farmhands from the orchards of '11, with a bit of strength behind their resolve. Another pair of tributes that made a scene that year were Hull Stanford and Kelly Reuben, both of whom appeared to be drug addicts of some kind.

Upon being greeted by the arena, it was hard to tell who would last and who would not. 9 tributes died in the bloodbath, none of which were careers. The cornucopia would be uninhabited this year, after the careers picked it clean of any weapons or supplies. The biggest difference, however, was that there was no food in any of the backpacks or crates. The arena seemed like the kind of place that would have ample amounts of food, but the careers were not worried much for the early phases of the games. The forested regions surrounding them would likely have game, and the fields up north would likely have nuts or seeds or something of the sort.

Water seemed to be fairly abundant at first, but soon the career pack went on a hunt to try and get themselves some food.

Josh and Seeder, being from an impoverished district that was well-acquainted with starvation and hunger, was doing just fine. Seeder had found a brook carving its way through the field, and she was living mostly off of fruit and nuts, with a pair of jagged black daggers at her side. Her strategy was to camp out here, and this strategy worked for at least 5 days, during which time Josh and two other tributes were killed, and the District 6 pair went ballistic in a morphling withdrawal, killing each other.

However, the career pack, while famished, was still fairly strong, even if they were complaining about the lack of food-related sponsor gifts. Said gifts were frequent enough to make kids from Districts 9, 11, and 12 jealous, but still not nearly as much as what the strapping kids from the rich career districts were used to. They did not find the seeds and nuts to be very satisfactory the way Seeder did.

A girl from District 10 was unfortunate enough to find herself on the receiving end of Seeder's dagger on day 6, and two of the careers were so starving that by day 9, they had gone delusional and attacked their friends, who had put them down. Seeder decided to set out and confront the remaining two. She was in no way eating like a queen, but she was eating more or less the same way she had back home, and so her body did not notice anything out of the ordinary except a slight distaste for the same fruits she had been eating for the last week and a half.

Day 10 saw her creek running dry, and so instead of returning to camp, Seeder sought out the last two careers as another cannon went off, bringing the number of alive tributes down to herself and 6 other tributes. Insanity was setting in for most of the tributes, but Seeder kept a level head and remained either oblivious, unaffected by it, or some combination of both.

To her surprise, it did not take much to trigger the District 2 pair's sense of dementia (or that's what they thought it was from how hungry they believed they were), and while Seeder danced between them to avoid becoming a kabob, they attacked each other instead with vigor. It was a surprising and almost comical sight, but after several minutes of this elusive fighting style, the last two career tributes lay dead in the forest as Seeder tried to single out the remaining tributes.

Unfortunately, there was a pair of tributes from District 7 that had been living in the forest for the last couple of weeks. Built like careers, they were a hardy pair that were built like—and ate like—lumberjacks. Seeder knew that in a direct confrontation, they would slaughter her. She waited a couple more days in hopes that the other tributes would start to die off, and sure enough, day 11 reduced the number of survivors to 4, while day 12 reduced it to 3. Day 13 came and Seeder knew she was being hunted. Day 14 came and she was found. However, the confrontation was nothing like she had suspected. If anything, they were more crazed rather than trying to kill her—they were mad enough for food that they had almost turned on each other and resorted to cannibalism. Seeder was the only level-headed one, and as such, it was her swordplay (dagger play) that wound up besting the girl first and then the boy a few moments later. Breathing heavily and soaked in sprayed flecks of blood, Seeder stood over their corpses as the Gamemakers announced her victory. Seeder was the 3rd victor from District 11, and the 33rd victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Despite the craziness she had seen from hunger and frenzied tributes, Seeder remained fairly calm and quiet just as before. She did not like loud noises, but ate a lot healthier and more regularly as a victor than she did prior to the games. She was one of the few that did not turn to drugs or alcohol after her victory, and it was a trend that she wished to continue as she began mentoring tributes for District 11…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)


	34. The 34th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I'm honestly a bit stoked for the next chapter, but we'll give this victor their limelight before I get into that. Weather patterns are totally a thing, and not every trick the Capitol pulls has to be wild or unrealistic to make a dynamic and intriguing game. Also note that there is a character named Cato in this story. He is not Cato from the books (he's not even from the same district); do you really think that there was no one that shared names with the 74th Hunger Games tributes in the 75 years the games went on? Just a thought. There are more characters like that which will appear in these stories, but don't worry; they won't pop up *too* frequently..._  
_That said... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 34th Annual Hunger Games**

Now that tributes were more ambitious about the games (at least in some districts), the idea that they would fight as well as try to survive was becoming a regular occurrence, and so the odds of food being as abundant in the cornucopia as it had been in earlier years (with a few notable exceptions) became gradually slimmer.

Often times the Gamemakers would use certain concepts again in back-to-back years, and one of these included the lack of food as the 34th Annual Hunger Games kicked off. After the events of the previous games, many of the tributes, including the careers, anticipated a lack of food and prepared themselves accordingly. District 2's Kurt Jordan and Leslie Massaro brought District 1's Jackie Hoang and Price Emerson into their ranks, also even dragging in Cato Terzic from District 3 after the boy scored a 9—a score that fit right up there with the 9s and 10s the career tributes had all acquired. There were no other really noteworthy alliances other than that a couple of districts such as 11, 7, and 8 had tributes that agreed not to kill each other too soon.

The arena was intriguing, at first glance. While it appeared to be forested, tributes noticed that north and south of the cornucopia in the distance were these enormous cliffs. Either this arena was very small, or extended a great deal east and west. The career pack did not linger long at the cornucopia due to the lack of supplies: it was almost entirely just weapons and backpacks, as well as gear that would help stave off the cold.

It was Cato who asserted that almost everything placed in the cornucopia served some sort of purpose, and when something like protective gear was a regular occurrence in almost everyone's backpack, he knew that the warm sunny weather they were experiencing was not here to stay.

The first couple of nights seemed normal, and as Kurt led the career pack west, and only two more tributes died, the cannon shots and hovercrafts coming from the eastern half of the arena. However, as the 4th morning kicked off, the sun that had painted the grass and trees vibrant shades of gold and green was replaced by a hazy, blue and grey fog. It was not some sort of artificial smoke concocted by the Capitol, but rather real haze that resulted from the cool air of the vast canyon-like arena getting trapped underneath warmer air from the skies above them.

"It's called an inversion," Cato explained to his allies, "so basically it's going to be freezing nuts down here and the air is going to get worse until it becomes a hazard or until it rains."  
Kurt and Leslie were naturally a bit skeptical about this, but Price affirmed it.

"We get those a bit in District 1 actually," he assured his allies, "usually in the winter, but I guess anything goes in the arena."

The inversion continued for a few days, and while the survivalists from Districts 7 and 11 were faring better than usual, the ones from '11 could not handle the cold as well due to their district's southerly climate, and the pair from 7 died after risking crossing a frozen river. The ice cracked beneath them, and while the boy's instincts kicked in to try and save his partner before she got dragged downstream, he fell in as well, forcing them downstream. The girl drowned under the ice, but her partner survived a few hours longer before succumbing to hypothermia.

Three more days in, and Cato betrayed the career pack, giving their positions away to an alliance that had formed between the District 4 pair and a District 12 girl. This betrayal ended up causing Jackie's death, as well as injuring Kurt. However, the leader of the careers was not about to be fazed by Cato, or by the archer from District 12 who had killed one of his allies. The District 4 pair were the ones that they were worried about most.

This mindset was helpful, for Price was able to dispose of the girl from '12 fairly easily after an attempted ambush failed, which resulted in two casualties: the boy from '4, and Kurt succumbed to his injuries the District 4 boy's partner, a girl named Savannah, had escaped relatively unscathed, and she and Cato turned out to be fairly strong allies. His brains and her brawn kept both of them safe from the careers for the time being, and from the elements of the arena. Luckily for the last two careers, both Price and Leslie were still in well enough condition that they did not have to worry about the cold and the injuries yet.

Two more days passed, and the inversion ended with a ferocious rainstorm. Naturally, none of the 5 remaining tributes were out and about that day, and most of them instead were grateful for the clean air and clean water. The temperature of the arena soared, turning the climate to something more akin to a lightning storm. Only one tribute was killed that day: Cato's elusive partner—the girl from District 3, who had managed to avoid getting caught despite staking it out on her own. She died at Leslie's hand.

This humidity lingered even after the storm had subsided that evening, making the place feel more like a jungle—or even a sauna. Naturally, most tributes shed their protective gear, and began migrating to try and find cooler ground. The land around the cornucopia seemed to be the coolest, and it was clear that the Capitol was attempting to bring the remaining tributes together for a final battle.

However, this final battle never happened. Price and Leslie ambushed Cato, killing him immediately, although Leslie was fatally wounded by Savannah's retaliation. She and Price fled to the cornucopia, the former leading the latter to what might have been a trap. However, in one final moment of frenzy (perhaps brought on by the heat), Price threw his axe with enough force that it kept enough velocity to strike Savannah in the back, killing her. The final cannon had gone off, and the games were over. Price was now the 6th victor from District 1, and the 34th victor of the Games overall.

Price was remembered for his cool demeanour, his level head, and his appeal to those around him. He became a Capitol favorite during his victory tour, touting his Capitol loyalty to gain extra favour, and ultimately became a very friendly and popular mentor. District 1 would continue to produce quality tributes if he had anything to say about it—and he hoped to keep it that way.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)


	35. The 35th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I've been waiting for this chapter for quite a while now. I've made many references to this victor, and why she's called "the Terror of the 35th". She's much older in my other fanfics, but her attitude mostly remains the same. This is one of a few chapters that is extra-length. There will be a few of them like this that I will particularly reference if they are such. Otherwise, I have little else to say on this one that I can't just show instead._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 35th Annual Hunger Games**

A wide assortment of tributes had come and gone into the games, and a similarly colorful variety of them had come out of there alive. There were tall kids, short kids, rich kids, poor kids—but one of the primary trends that the games seemed to set was that there were only a very few victors that had won the games at 15—and none younger than that had ever gotten out of there alive thus far.

Thus, it was considerably surprising when tiny little Leto Irizari clawed her way to the District 2 stage, given that she was not only 14 years old, but was a 14-year-old that had made it to the stage over all sorts of other bigger, stronger girls. Her diminutive frame that didn't even stand at 5 feet was something that the rest of Panem would not see again that year. Even the scrawniest kids from District 12 that year were at least 5'1".

The career pack for the 35th Annual Hunger Games was ruthless and powerful. Districts 1 and 2 recruited the strapping tributes from District 4, and were impressed enough by the wiles and brains of District 3 that both of them managed to make it into the pack as well. Leto was never fully removed from the alliance, but she was ridiculed and underestimated due to her small size.

They stopped laughing when she was the only tribute to score a perfect 12 in training that year.

While some of them attempted to make amends with the tiny girl, she shook them off.

"There was a time when I might have reconsidered," Leto warned, "but you all seemed to rather burn that bridge rather than embrace me. Watch your backs in the arena."  
Leto had no more idea of what the arena was than anyone else, but she hoped that it would be something that involved stealth.

"It'd be a right shame for a career tribute—one that scored so high, no less—to die in the bloodbath, kid," Rakna, the girl from District 1, remarked. "Are you sure you don't want to knock heads in with us?"

"I did," Leto was clearly rather offended by how she had been treated during the days of training. "But none of you wanted me till you saw my score. I'm just granting those wishes."  
"Opinions change as new information is revealed," Mihile reasoned. That District 4 boy had scored an 11, and so would also be a valid threat.

"But some facts remain constant," Leto countered, "such as only one victor crawling out of that arena alive. I'd hate to take 8th place after our alliance sweeps the rest of the field."

The arena that year was rather intriguing. At first glance, it appeared to be a forest, but looking at it again revealed that it was a fairly barren wilderness. However, the lack of food at the cornucopia was an indicator that such things would need to be found in the forest.

Leto offed two tributes (a girl from '7 and a boy from '10) before disappearing in the opposite direction of the career tributes, disappearing into the woods without hesitation. 8 more tributes died, but the 7-strong career pack was not among these. The boy from District 2, as well as both tributes from Districts 1, 3, and 4, were all on the prowl.

After the first day had ended, and the 2nd morning had begun, the tributes knew that they were in for a treat. Similar to a handful of Hunger Games before this one, the sun did not come back up. Instead, the moon, which seemed to be perpetually full—shone brightly down upon them, offering a dim illumination of the treacherous forest.

The next 5 days were a twisted game of hide and seek. Slowly all but the tributes from Districts, 2, 11, 3, 1, and 4 were eliminated, and even those from '11 eventually both fell at the careers' hands on the 7th day. However, one question lingered on all of their minds—where was Leto?

No one had seen the tiny District 2 girl since the bloodbath.

"You made a mistake, Leto!" the boy from District 1 called out in the forest. "now that 7-on-1 thing is really happening!"

All this did, however, was attract Wolf-mutts, which the careers were luckily able to fend off. Leto was safely nestled in the trees, content in terms of hunger and thirst, and was simply waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

The night was her element, and she moved in the darkness almost as proficiently as she did in the light. After her performance in the bloodbath, she had been sponsored some of the night-vision goggles that were commonly used in Districts like 9 and 11 that worked long hours into the evenings.

Perhaps to help the tributes find each other in the dark, there was a certain aura to the light that shone down on them that made their eyes 'reflect' it, similar to a cat's.

This was what the career pack saw in the trees one night, accompanied by a rather odd verse.

_There's a whisper in the willows, _

_And perhaps it might be you?_

_I think tonight you're going to meet_

_The girl from District 2…_

A second later, Leto jumped right into the middle of the pack, swiping with her knife before scampering back off into the darkness. They knew where she was, and what she was doing. The game was on.

Day 8 drew to a close, and as the careers were settling in for the night, they made the grave mistake of assuming that Leto had done the same. They heard a whisper, and that quaint verse again, except with a particularly obvious and ominous modification made to it:

_There's a whisper in the willows,_

_And it sounds like lots of fun._

_I think tonight I'm going to kill_

_The boy from District 1…_

No sooner had she said this when Rakna heard a short gasp, and found a throwing knife lodged in her partner's throat. She instantly pulled out her bow and shot at the trees, but to no avail. Leto had disappeared once again.

"she's using the trees." Rakna warned, "we need to keep watch."

But each day, Leto remained skillfully elusive, appearing sometime during the day before the anthem, whispering her verse, and striking whatever tribute she targeted. The wind and ambience of the trees made it extremely difficult to track her voice and location, other than that she was somewhere in the trees. On day 9, she targeted the girl from District 4, and then the boy from District 2 the following day. Days 11 and 12 saw the deaths of the District 3 pair, one by one, and on day 13, Rakna was killed.

It was down to Mihile and Leto. They began migrating to a distinct part of the forest where they knew they could have a final battle. Leto was not sure her stealth would work against him, and so instead, she played on his fears, singing an ominous verse about his impending death over and over, watching (with her night-vision glasses) the fear starting to form inside of him.

She struck a few seconds later, but was not quick enough to make a clean kill, and so she jumped from her tree to initiate melee combat. While Mihile landed several nasty hits on Leto, the tiny girl proved her superiority with her blinding speed, and soon the District 4 boy was lying lacerated in a pool of his own blood, defeated. Leto was now the 7th victor from District 2, and the 35th victor of the Hunger Games.

While she seemed fairly stable, the little 14-year-old had proven to be ruthless, and so was rather insensitive to most other emotions after her games. She did later admit that she had 'written' all 12 verses to her little tune, in case she had needed to scare tributes from the other districts. Whatever the case, Leto's manipulation of fear and stealth, combined with her swift, ruthless, and efficient method of assassin-style murdering had earned her a nickname: The Terror of the 35th Hunger Games.

The games had given birth to this legend—not only for how scary Leto had been in the games with her kills, but she had also made a name for herself—as the youngest victor to ever win the games.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)


	36. The 36th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Since not every game is a Quell or is an action-packed story full of memories, some are longer than others and others are more memorable. Whatever the case, here's another sign that this story is still going. On a canon-related note, I know we're approaching Wiress' games, so stay on the lookout for them as well. In the meantime, here's '36. I do always enjoy feedback as well, and so even short remarks saying how good (or bad) I did are always welcome. _  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 36th Annual Hunger Games**

The Hunger Games arenas were designed differently every year, and many of them were envisioned and constructed years in advance. No one outside the Capitol really knew how they were chosen or designed, but as the games got more advanced, it was clear that different environments served different tributes better or worse. Moreover, the victors' pool showed that not all districts were equal in strength, smarts, and survival skills the way they used to.

Foremost proof of this was seen in District 2 and District 1, which trained children for the games. While this was technically illegal, the Capitol turned a blind eye deliberately because these children tended to give a good show and add conflict to the games as they hunted down the other children. Urban districts such as '8, '9, or '6 seemed more at a disadvantage; as opposed to outdoorsy districts such as '11, '4, or '7 where their district's industry helped them learn skills inherently. Then there were exceptions, such as District12, which produced dangerous saboteurs who excelled in multi-man combat, although usually dropped quickly if directly confronted. Also serving as an exception to the urban district trend were Districts 5 and 3, whose cunning and wealth often helped them live better lives back home which translated to skill in the arena.

All in all, however, the 36th Annual Hunger Games weren't much to shake a finger at despite how eerily exciting the previous games had been. While the career tributes performed well, by this point, that was practically expected rather than surprising. Since none of the other districts scored too far outside of their usual trends, there was nothing that kept the Gamemakers excitedly rambling the way the last games had been. However, the previous year had also marked the advent of a new games host and tribute interviewer: a man named Caesar Flickerman, and he helped work up the current Hunger Games, spinning things just enough to make them sound exciting.

In contrast to the dark, barren forest arena of the previous year, this year's arena had food all around them. It was wide and open, but full of tall fields of wheat, corn, beans, flowers, and other grain. Irrigated waterways provided clean water for survival, and thus the farm scene of this year's arena increased the odds of districts such as 10 and 9 that usually did not fare well.

Sure enough, while 8 tributes died in the bloodbath that day, none of them were from '10 or '9. The first evening saw them all survive as well.

Jackson Kjelle from District 5 lost his partner on the 2nd evening, but only after their traps killed over half of the 6-strong career pack. The fields (many of which were taller than most of the tributes) served as excellent places to hide; and excellent places to light ablaze. The irrigation ditches served as natural ways to hamper flame progress so the whole arena didn't go up in smoke, but four tributes were killed by this trap, and the only reason Jackson survived was because he ran faster than his partner.

The next several days were quiet and mostly eventless other than the District 10 pair dying over the following week, which caused the Gamemakers to throw a real wrench in the system on day 9. Under grey skies and high winds, lightning flashed. The lack of trees made it difficult to find a good hiding spot, and so most tributes just tried to find cover or low ground. Being from the district that generated electricity, Jackson knew to be as low as possible, and so he disappeared into some of the shorter grass and hoped he didn't get hit.

However, the fun was only beginning. The high winds turned into a massive tornado that wreaked havoc across the arena, carving a very distinct path through every quadrant of the arena, and killing half a dozen tributes in one evening by the time it had subsided.

While District 9 had kept both of its tributes alive into the final 5, the boy was killed next, while Jackson sniped one of the other tributes. The girl from District 9 took out the other tribute before she and Jackson crossed paths for the first and only time.

In the ruins of the fields under the drizzling rain, the two fought for several minutes before she got the upper hand on him and knocked Jackson to the ground. Right as she raised her sword to strike him down, however, a bolt of lightning used the weapon as a point to strike, killing the girl instantly. In one frantic, intense moment, Jackson Kjelle had just become the 5th victor from District 5, and the 36th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

While the games had been rather boring and eventless apart from his trap, the lightning, and the tornadoes, it had still managed to toss in a few interesting dynamics for the games that the Gamemakers of the future would remember. Furthermore, the way Caesar Flickerman hyped it up would ensure that it remained popular among the Capitol for a long enough time until other more memorable games took its place. The man was a keeper in the Capitol for sure. Jackson, on the other hand, was quite fine with settling back down and living a quiet victor life again. Surprisingly, this was one of a few fronts where he actually succeeded.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)


	37. The 37th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I've been on a roll with these chapters lately, and so we might see an increased posting rate of them for a little bit. I've got the "masterpiece" chapters (44-48) all written out, and so those will be really fun to post. Also included between now and then are Wiress and Blight, with Haymitch following shortly after 48 (at 50 of course). In the meantime, enjoy the 37th installment of the Hunger Games as we follow the footsteps of another victor as they make their way to fame._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 37th Annual Hunger Games**

After the previous year which was slow and less eventful, the Gamemakers decided to mix things up a bit more in the hopes of creating a more memorable and exciting Hunger Games. This year they tweaked one of the arena designs they had been working with for a while, figuring it was high time to throw something in with an exciting twist.

Of course, the arena and the hazards therein were only half of the fun. Another driving factor that could make or break a Hunger Games was the tributes, and this year had produced a promising set. From District 2 as leaders of the yearly career pack were Daniel Gregory and Lyre Kovak. They recruited Vahl and Aura from District 1, and the careers were born. They also recruited Aksum and Bertrand from District 3 into their group to bolster the size, and figured that they had an edge from there. All of them wound up scoring high, with 9s, 10s, and 11s across the board. The only other tributes to score in this range were Jack and Chelsea from District 7, who scored 9s. Daniel and Lyre turned it into a competition between one another, especially after both of them scored 11s.

The cornucopia clearing this year seemed very blank compared to other years, almost as if it was in a featureless little bubble. There did seem to be some sort of illusionary shield around the golden horn and the pedestals, preventing the tributes from seeing what lay on the other side.

Incidentally, with a promising arena and intriguing tributes, these games would become much more memorable than the ones the year before. The bloodbath almost proved this when District 6's Zerviah Hawke nearly threw a wrench into the system by attacking the careers, stealing some of their supplies, and actually managing to get away. As a porter back home, she was used to lifting and moving large packages of supplies, so she hauled it out of the cornucopia shield with a large pack full of supplies, and ventured southeast, while 12 tributes lost their lives in that clearing. Gamemakers theorized that they might have been too intimidated by wondering what was on the other side, but for tributes like Zerviah District 7, and District 8, such thoughts could not be afforded too soon, and so out they went.

Zerviah was surprised to find herself in a deciduous forest cloaked in a wintry chill. Obviously the Gamemakers could engineer artificial seasons if they were able to artificially produce various other crazy "natural" features in the arena, and so this didn't surprise her. What truly surprised her was that as she headed west, there was an invisible dividing line and a sense of illusion. Suddenly, the winter was gone and a spring breeze filled her nostrils. The most unusual aspect about this though was that as she turned around, the forest behind her looked like it was cloaked in spring as well.

To test her theory, Zerviah took a few steps back, and suddenly was back in the "winter zone" again. Adding to her theory was that as she gazed forward, the part of the forest she knew was in the "spring zone" also looked like winter.

The Gamemakers were pretty proud of this accomplishment. They had managed to divide the arena into four quadrants, and as Zerviah and others discovered, they had four different seasons. Starting from spring in the southwest, Zerviah ran clockwise around the cornucopia shield and found summer in the northwest, autumn in the northeast, winter in the southeast, and spring in the southwest where she originated.

On the 3rd morning, Daniel and Lyre led the other careers on a manhunt for the other tributes, where they ended up having an altercation with the tributes from Districts 7 and 8. Both kids from District 8 were killed, as were both Bertrand and Aksum. Lyre was slightly injured, much to her chagrin, while Vahl and Chelsea left the clash limping.

Zerviah was grateful for the time she spent during training learning to identify plants and poisons, because in the autumn section of the arena, she found a myriad of these plants, extracted their toxins, and built a dart blower. In the event that that failed, she still had some knives from the sack she stole from the careers. She made camp in this quarter of the arena and waited.

Jack and Chelsea ran into a blizzard in the winter quadrant, and the latter of the two did not make it due to her wounds. Jack ran northward and right into Zerviah's trap, where the District 6 girl caught him with an old fashioned pitfall, before stabbing him with a sword.

The remaining tributes had taken refuge in different parts of the spring quadrant, but were soon flushed out by the careers at the cost of Vahl's life, and Aura's health. One of the District 11 kids managed to poison her before the careers could kill him, and so Aura succumbed to her injuries as well over the next day, ending up in excruciating pain before Lyre elected to put her out of her misery.

Even with their numbers down to two, Daniel and Lyre were still pretty stoked. All that stood between them and victory were each other, and then Zerviah.

Unfortunately, their own pride got in the way, and their biggest mistake was underestimating the cunning of that District 6 girl. She managed to shoot them both with slow acting paralysis poisons, before leaping down and watching them die. Their expressions were almost tragic as they realized their dreams would never become reality, but Zerviah did what she had to do, and the games were over. She had just become the 3rd victor from District 6, and the 37th victor of the games overall.

Zerviah was a rebel at heart though, but her mistake was voicing displeasure with the games after her victory interview. In retribution, Zerviah came home from her tour only to find her older brother, two younger sisters, and both of her parents, mysteriously gone. She heeded this as a warning, but deep in her heart, she knew that the rebellion that had failed 37 years ago had never truly died—and that if it ever revitalized, that she would be a part of it.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)


	38. The 38th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we finally get to Wiress' Hunger Games. The funny thing is, is that the victors from 35, 37, 38, 39, and 40 have all made appearances in my other fics at some point or another, and so the next two chapters will sport familiar faces as well. Slowly but surely we make our way through the victors from Catching Fire . Hopefully I can continue to make good progress._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 38th Annual Hunger Games**

Sometimes, a game that resembled a previous year was an event that most people even in the Capitol stated was inevitable. While it had been played intentionally during the 11th and 12th years of the games, most of the others were unintentional.

The 38th Annual Hunger Games was one of these. The arena design was similar to one of the earlier designs that took place in a massive underground cave, except that this one was filled with water in many different places, and was lit much more dimly than the others had been. Where there was no water, there were countless winding tunnels going every which way.

The tribute pool seemed fairly standard, with the career tributes from Districts 1 and 2 scoring high, and recruiting the District 4 pair into their ranks this year. District 3 was left out on their own volition, with Trexler Goldenrod and Wiress Plummer electing to take each other as allies. While she appeared timid and quiet, Wiress was very observant, ad had deeply analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the strongest tributes, and evaluated the odds of the others to gauge their threat levels. She had a basic idea of who would die in the opening minutes by the time they were all escorted to the arena and getting trackers shot up their arms.

Wiress' theories were mostly correct. When the bloodbath had subsided, and 8 tributes had lost their lives, the games became a lot more confusion and slower-paced. The dim light made vision difficult, but there were enough glittery stones in this dungeon-like cave for the keener-eyed tributes to get around. Those from darker districts such as '12 and '11 excelled in this sort of atmosphere, while the quieter tributes more dedicated to stealth, such as tributes from Districts 5 and 3, also did well as they slinked into the shadows.

Wiress was the one to stop and analyze the tunnels before daring to enter one. There had to be a pattern, and so she left her partner Trexler and began to investigate the paths and tunnels. Surely there was no way they could all be safe. After hours of tedious searching and analysis, as well as avoiding any other tributes, she had come to at least one conclusion: every third tunnel with green lighting was safe. The tunnels with blue or teal lighting were hit-and-miss, or rather, Wiress did not know what was at the end of the tunnels.

A couple tunnels with purplish lighting ended up being large loops that went around the arena. Wiress had to get wet a few times, but she began to move skillfully around the arena and get the hang of the tunnel patterns this year's arena had. While she was not as competent of a fighter as the careers from Districts 4, 2, or 1 this year (or even her own partner Trexler), she remained a few steps ahead of the other tributes and even the Gamemakers, who had designed this arena to look so rotationally symmetrical on purpose to throw them off (a tactic they would end up using in later games as well).

She learned the frightening way, however, what was at the end of some of the tunnels. While the safe ones had food or supplies planted deep in the caverns or in secret rooms divided by underwater passages, some of the paths contained monsters and mutts of all sorts. There were a few red-eyed monsters that almost seemed human, and they brought about the grizzly demise of 8 additional tributes over the next few days. Some of the glowing rocks were also electrically charged, which, around water made them dangerous. Naturally, as electricians, Wiress, Trexler, and the tributes from District 5 used them to their advantage, surviving much longer than many others.

The career pack eventually cornered Wiress, and, unable to get her knowledge of the arena from her, gave chase. She took a risk and headed down one of the paths she was certain had a monster, before ducking out of the way and leading them right into its lair. The result was rather traumatizing to watch, for right as the tunnel widened, the careers rushed in only to get fiercely attacked. Wiress watched the horror unfold from her hiding place, barely managing to escape, and visibly shaken. She was too scared to make so much as a noise as she sneaked back out and lingered near the water for a long time.

A few days later it was down to her and two others. Trexler had died three days earlier, taking 6th place. Wiress managed to outsmart these final two by leading them down one of the underwater paths and managing to collapse it on them, where they slowly drowned. With them out of the way, that just left one tribute alive, which brought the games to an end. Wiress had become the 4th victor from District 3, and the 38th victor of the games overall.

Wiress' games had been slightly shorter than usual, but they were full of the type of action and violence that the Capitol craved. As such, they were memorable games, coupled with the rather dazzling arena they had taken place in. Still, as beautiful and sinister as the arena was, Wiress never took well to people or to loud noises, always being reminded of the traumatic incidents she saw in the dimly lit arena, and remembering the noise the tributes had made before their grizzly demises. Wanting none of that, Wiress's words were scarce and cryptic the few times they did escape her lips. However, her cunning and intellect did not leave her for decades, and so underneath the scared little victor was still a very dangerously cunning tactician that was always at least two steps ahead of everyone else…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)


	39. The 39th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _So I didn't get a whole lot of work done this week owing to certain things that may or may not have had to do with Fire Emblem. Still, I am not kidding when I say I will finish this, and as such, it will be finished. While some names in this chapter are coincidental, I know at least one that is not, and I am not even sorry. :B_  
_But that said, here we go with nearly 4 decades of Hunger Games. Blight's games are not far off, and then we enter a period that I call "The Golden Age of Hunger Games". Ideally, you'll end up seeing why when it arrives._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 39th Annual Hunger Games**

With the shocking thrills and tricks played with in some of the last few games, the Capitol knew that their mission to keep their fellow citizens entertained at the expense of the lives of children from the districts was not over. Their quest to make each Hunger Games more memorable than the last was an eternal one from which they could not rest, especially as Gamemakers came and went. Rumors had it even that a few were removed specifically, for one reason or another, although President Coriolanus Snow and his inner circle never revealed the truth of the matter, always having other "official" excuses for such incidents for one reason or another.

The 39th Annual Hunger Games did not appear to have any such trends, although there were eyes particularly on the pair from District 4: Riley Gracia and Nephi Lott. While they did join up with the career pack that year it was unclear if they were doing it for the glory the way District 1 and District 2 did, or for the reason a lot of District 3 tributes did: to stay on the good side of the tributes who were usually the strongest ones in the arena.  
They would definitely be a threat this year though. District 2's Aubree Weathers and Ricky Burns both scored 11s, while Riley and Nephi scored an 8 and a 9 respectively. District 3 produced Chrome, who scored a 9, and the oddly-named Glitch, who everyone teased for her name. They stopped teasing when she scored a 12 in training. Luckily, Glitch appeared to be a good-natured young woman who could take the taunts in stride, and she teased them right back as she joined their crew. Ricky and Aubree also recruited Riley and Nephi for similar reasons, bringing the career crew up to 8 that year.

There was something daunting about the arena that year as the tributes rose up from their pedestals. While the cornucopia clearing was no doubt stocked to the brim with crates and weapons, and seemed as clear and open as any other arena's cornucopia clearing, there was a thick, grey fog that had settled in the arena. Since it was already engulfing the tributes and limiting their range of vision to about the distance between the pedestals and the cornucopia, it was clear that it was not dangerous in any way. The Gamemakers didn't want their tributes all dying in the opening hours.

Of course, they did in fact want a bloodbath, and so had no qualms with watching 9 tributes lose their lives within the opening minutes of the games. After everything was settled, the tributes from District 2 and District 1 agreed to remain at the cornucopia and keep it as a base while the tributes from District 4 and District 3 elected to venture out and get a feel for the arena. While both sides thought they were getting the better part of the deal, Glitch and Nephi in particular felt that they were at an advantage. They would get to know more of the arena than their peers, and so when the time came for the large alliance to break up, they would know where to run and where to hide. Glitch had analyzed the food stocks and realized they would only last about 4 days with all 8 of them eating from them; and knew that if they tried to bar Districts 3 and 4 from the foodstuffs that they would rebel without hesitation.

The career alliances were usually a fickle thing when they involved more districts than '1 and '2. District 4 was strong and unpredictable, while District 3 was wily and cunning, often times even able to outsmart the powerful careers who had trained for these games. While plenty of past games proved that brawn could triumph over brains, District 3's win record was nothing to sneeze at.

All four of these tributes were quiet and stealthy, and so they split up in four directions: Riley headed west, Glitch went north, Chrome headed south, and Nephi went east. All four of them found similar landscapes: meadows and a few sparse trees and boulders, all cloaked in fog. Glitch managed to even rig up a set of traps around a pair of tributes from District 10, causing her to smirk a few hours later when she heard to cannons go off at the same time. Riley chased a tribute through the trees before she slammed into a rock she did not see through the fog, allowing her to finish the girl off without trouble.

Nephi discovered a river flowing around the arena, and used the deep water to maneuver himself around. Armed with tridents and a bow, he speared a few fish, and speared a tribute that was caught by the river with a campfire. Nephi put it to some use and cooked the fish he caught, and all of them returned to the career pack a few days later with the results.

By this point, there were only about 11 tributes remaining. Unbeknownst to even the wily Glitch, Nephi had befriended a boy from District 7 who had spared his life, and he would get back to him after Nephi had dealt with the other careers.

Sure enough, by the time the 10th day had rolled around, two more tributes had died, and the careers had turned on Districts 3 and 4, starting off by catching Chrome off guard in his sleep. Glitch, Nephi, and Riley all sprang into action, battling it out. They fled immediately into the wilderness together, and the careers gave chase. The pair from District 1 were stopped in their tracks by Nephi and Riley, who spun around and speared them. Glitch kept Ricky and Aubree at bay long enough for Nephi to come and backstab Ricky, while Glitch cut Aubree's throat and was done with it. It was in this moment that the three agreed to split up. They hoped they would find that District 7 boy and then meet each other in different circumstances as they fought to the death.

This plan worked fairly well except for one hitch. Shortly after she was out of Nephi's hearing distance, Glitch doubled back and sniped Riley, only to have an altercation with that District 7 fellow hardly an hour or two later. Nephi heard two cannons go off and realized that it was just him and one other tribute. He feared it was Glitch, and his fears were substantiated. Nephi was faster than Glitch, but Glitch was more cunning, and so the two tributes battled it out in the fog. Nephi tried to get in with his spear, but Glitch's knives blocked him at every turn, just as Nephi's trident deflected the blows from Glitch's blades. It took a couple of bold feints from Nephi before Glitch finally slipped up, and in this split-second moment, he thrust his trident into her chest and ended her life, and the games. A cannon went off seconds later. Nephi became the 3rd victor from District 4, and the 39th victor of the games.

A quiet and introverted young man, Nephi remained fairly level-headed after the games, wary when the coastal fog would set in, but otherwise mostly stable. He later did develop a drug addiction, but the tributes he helped produce afterwards were a different brand of fighter that would be remembered not just for their performances in the Hunger Games, but for things far greater as well.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)


	40. The 40th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Welcome to the 40th chapter of my Hunger Games oneshot collection. The 5th decade of Hunger Games (40-50) is often what I consider "The Golden Age" of Hunger Games by virtue that all of these chapters are very lengthy, detailed accounts of what happened. Odds are, if I finish my "90s" Hunger Games series, I might go back and retell stories of the victors from this decade, because there is a lot of crazy awesome stuff that goes down. This is just one example, and the others will be similar, including those of Blight and Haymitch. Till then, here's chapter 40, kicking off show._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 40th Annual Hunger Games**

Every passing year, the districts grew smarter, and the tributes that participated in the later games learned more from the tricks and mistakes made by their predecessors. As such, they continued to get stronger, and the Capitol had to make sure to keep up. The Training Centers were upgraded, different weapons and arena schemes were designed, and different tributes came into the fray.

The Capitol knew they had to outdo themselves for the 40th Annual Hunger Games as they celebrated four decades of these gladiatorial tournaments. Luckily for them, the volunteers from Districts 1, 2, and surprisingly, 3, seemed to fit this mold.

District 1's Iago Castillo his partner Miriam Luxio seemed to be the ringleaders of the pack at first, although by the end of the week of training it was clear that only Iago shared this sentiment, and that their allies District 2, were more the leading type. Miriam, by contrast, settled with the District 3 pair Takumi and Oboro. The funny thing about the District 2 pair this year was that they were both named Cameron; the boy being Cameron Taos, and the girl being Cameron Chama.

No one was really concerned about that coincidence apart from both Camerons getting 11s in training. With scores that high, people knew that this pair would get far. Miriam scored a 10 while Iago, Takumi, and Oboro all scored 9s. Most of the remaining tributes scored 8s or less, which meant that this year would likely be another career game. District 4, while not joining the careers this year, did prove to be unorthodox enough to still earn the respectable scores of 8, and they too would survive the bloodbath. The main opposition to the careers this year were the pair from Districts 11, 7, and 12. The pair from '7 seemed to be stealth artists considering how little they were seen in the training center, followed by them also scoring a 9 (the boy, Kenji), and an 8 (the girl, Kura) in their private sessions. The District 11 pair both scored 8s for demonstrating archery and ranged-weapon skills, while Aralynn from District 12 scored a 7 for producing various concoctions out of everyday materials.

The interviews were normally nothing to gawk about, although Aralynn turned some heads with an ominous warning that she was going to light up the arena, but she refused to elaborate. She appeared to have about as much charisma as Caesar, being able to twist the conversation as she saw fit. The other noteworthy interview had been the first one, as Miriam proved to be a rather wacky, eccentric girl with a fondness for alcohol. She had a very unorthodox swagger to her movements and words, but overall, she was definitely a hit. Time would tell how well this would translate to the games themselves though.

The arena was intriguing all on its own. The tributes seemed to be placed on the top of some large, ornate temple, with four different towers to the northwest, southeast, northeast, and southwest. This would definitely require exploration, and so after the bloodbath was over, Miriam and the District 3 pair set out to explore the temple while the other three surviving careers remained at the golden cornucopia to amass and control the supplies. Only 8 tributes died in this year's bloodbath, which meant that 10 other kids roamed the arena who were not part of the 6-strong career alliance.

The roof of the temple that the tributes had started on was not very big, relatively speaking, which meant there had to be a way down. Surrounding them was a hazy fog, so there was no telling just how high up this structure was, and naturally no one wanted to jump.

Miriam, Oboro, and Takumi did discover that the temple had different levels, and that all three interior floors of the temple had some sort of artificial lighting. Supplies were fairly scarce, but there were crates of them every now and again, and on the lower levels there were more and better supplies, and even rare and powerful weapons.

This was the report that they brought back to their fellow careers. Unfortunately, they had also noticed that some of the tributes from the outer districts had survived and had created some sort of flash grenades. No one was hurt so far, and at the moment they were unable to tell who the tributes were. They had used this device to blind the careers as they made off with some of their supplies.

"Sabotage, huh…" Miriam mused, "I don't like the sound of this."

Over the next several days, the haze surrounding the giant temple persisted, giving them no idea how far down it went or what was at the bottom. All they knew is that anyone who slipped off of the roof would take a nasty fall.

On day 5, with 13 tributes still remaining, the careers decided to split up, with the boys going one way and the girls going another, so they could cover more ground and yet still be safe in numbers. A girl from District 6 met her end at the hands of the male Cameron, but that group also found trouble in the name of two District 7 renegades and a District 12 girl. Right before the career boys could plunder some supplies, they got hit with these flash grenades, labeling the culprits as Kenji and Kura from District 7, and Aralynn from District 12. They lost the supplies to these renegades, but gave chase, hoping the girls had better luck.

Unfortunately for the careers, it seemed that they had no such luck, as Oboro got knifed from behind by a skilled throw of a knife from a District 11 girl. Her partner was right behind her and the two of them gave chase to the two remaining careers. Miriam ran faster than Cameron, and the two got separated, but both managed to survive. The District 11 pair seemed unfazed and managed to regroup with their comrades from District 7 later on that evening.  
"Any idea what happened to Ara?" one of them asked the District 7 pair.

"She took off with some of her bombs to catch the careers off guard later tonight. She's probably waiting in ambush."

While none of them knew it for sure, that was exactly what she was doing. As Oboro's face appeared in the sky, Ara sprang out of a crate right next to the cornucopia, threw one of her flash grenades while also dropping a real one. as the tributes were trying to recover their vision, it went off, knocking them all backwards and killing Iago for good. His face appeared shortly after Oboro's, and even the tributes below the roof managed to see it. The Capitol had somehow programmed the holograms to pop up for the other tributes, giving them an idea of who was dead and who wasn't. After all, the Capitol made sure that every tribute knew the same amount of information. Most of the time they really did play the games fair unless there was a really dangerous rebel-type tribute involved. This was part of the reason why tributes from districts like '8, '11, and '12 were often viewed under scrutiny.

There was at least one point where Miriam explored off on her own, and discovered that the four towers had interiors as well. They were much smaller than most rooms in the lower floors, but they led up to a dead end, and down to nearly a dead end. One small exit led right out to the ground, where she could see the entire temple towering above them. It had to be at least an 40-foot drop if not more. Miriam wandered into the fog and found it hard to see, but otherwise it just appeared to be moisture. Eventually, however, she began to hear a crackling noise, and then a ripple in the fog as far as her eye could see. She had reached the end of the arena and was about to hit the electric forcefield. She turned around and all she could see was the fog, with the temple hovering over the cloudy haze in the distance. It was really not that far away, but the fog shrouded the ground, and went up for about 10-15 feet, meaning tributes at the bottom would have troubles with visibility in all directions, including up.

Miriam managed to get back to the temple by putting the crackling electricity at her back and then beelining forward, wandering around the walls till she found one of the entrances in the corners. She spent the evening about halfway up the tower, and slept until morning.

Day 9 came and went, but that morning, three cannons had gone off, and Miriam knew why. Instead of returning to the cornucopia, she took a passage back out onto the roof and down into the interior again, killing off the District 4 boy in the process. As she descended to the lowermost level, she ran into the pair from District 11 who were fleeing from something. It did not take long for her to see fog rushing in behind them, except this fog had a more greenish tint. Miriam sped past them to try and make it up the stairs, actually beating them to it. Figuring that if it flooded into the next room she would die either way, she took a chance. Hiding just out of sight as the tribute pair rushed up the stairs, Miriam shot an arrow into one who staggered back into the other, and they both tumbled back down into the fog and were consumed. Two cannons went off, dropping the surviving tribute count down to 7.

Sure enough, the fog stopped, hovering menacingly at the top of the staircase leading down, but not actually flooding into the 2nd floor. The bottom floor was no longer habitable though, and Miriam understood that this meant the arena was gradually going to get smaller and smaller as more parts became inaccessible. She raced back up to the roof to see if the fog outside was any different, but it didn't seem to be, and another hour or so of surveying the four towers showed that they were safe as well. It was only after this that she returned to her friends.

"hell did you go?" Cameron furrowed her brow as Miriam returned.

"Did a bit of exploring," the District 1 girl shrugged, "don't go down to level 1 of the temple anymore—there's an acidic fog that ate the pair from '11."  
"Do people drink a lot in District 1?" Cameron tilted his head.

"Only the finest of wines," Miriam grinned, "Iago could have told you if he was still alive."  
"Well, have you been drinking?" Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"hot damn, I wish," Miriam shook her head, "but no. I'm dead serious. Get it; Dead, because they and the District 4 boy are dead now?"  
Sure enough, the anthem played and showed all three of their faces, causing Miriam to smirk.

"And here you thought I was just a bumbling ditz." She quipped, "while that might also be partially true, considering that it's a trend in District 1, I like to at least pretend I'm pulling my weight around here, y'know? Just saying…"

The four careers slept that evening, although when they thought Miriam was asleep, they began whispering to each other as Miriam snored loudly. Between her fake snores, she heard something about Miriam being too big of a threat and too unpredictable. If they were going to try and kill her, she wanted to get out of there before that happened.

Amazingly enough, she managed to do it—and to top it off she ran into Kenji and Kura who nearly killed her. However, a bit of smooth talking and she managed to convince them that she had defected from the careers. They began listening much more after that.

The four tributes schemed that evening, and arming themselves some of Ara's flash bombs and an actual explosive grenade, they their way back to the career camp.

They caught Takumi by surprise on morning 10, and Ara was caught in the crossfire as Cameron and Cameron attacked. Still, they did not realize that she had left the real grenade there, and neither did Kura. She did not survive the friendly-fire attack, but the District 2 pair did, who turned immediately on Miriam. She began running, wondering if they would spare Kenji in their desire to kill her.  
They all raced down the stairs to the 3rd level of the temple, only to notice a hazy fog emanating from the stairs leading down to the 2nd level. This was where Kenji and the female Cameron fell, while Miriam raced back up to the roof, her bow in hand. This year's games had been fast and had ended in a bloodbath. Sure enough, soon the fog was emanating from the stairwell leading into the temple, meaning the entire thing was engulfed. It was just Miriam and Cameron, and soon he had her cornered at the edge of the temple. Right as he was about to stab her though, she did a backflip off the roof and tumbled down into the abyss. Cameron expected to hear a cannon fire, but nothing happened. Miriam was alive, but had destroyed her legs as she jumped down and made impact with the ground. However, despite the racking pain she knew that Cameron wasn't just going to try and wait it out.

"You'll never find me now!" Miriam taunted, forcing a laugh to make it sound like she was okay. Cameron jumped in faith, his sword pointed down. Miriam, however, had nocked an arrow (her arms were okay) and in the split-second that she saw his shadow in the haze, she let her arrow loose, striking the boy and killing him as he smashed into the ground next to her, dead. Through guile and cunning, Miriam had just become the 7th victor from District 1, and the 40th victor of the Hunger Games.

While her legs did eventually manage to recover, Miriam spent over half a year in a wheelchair to get around. Despite this, she continued her old hobby of making fine wines, including a particularly glorious example that she named "red gold", which also helped keep her mind off the pain her legs sometimes presented her. Despite the horrors of the arena, however, Miriam's oddly kind and comically upbeat attitude remained, even as she became the first and so far only victor to have her tour while she was in a wheelchair. She became a symbol of pride and power in District 1, who managed to keep up with District 2 in skills and so far in victors. She was also well-liked by most people she met, simply because she was amiable and didn't hold grudges, usually finding that laughing things out was a better and more practical solution.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)


	41. The 41st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I am not dead (yet)!I apologize for the long dry spell. It may or may not totally have had something to do with Fire Emblem Fates (if you don't have it, get it. just sayin'). Considering that these chapters (40-49) are all going to be much longer than my usual ones, considering my whole "Golden Age" arc I have going, they might take a little longer to put out. Thanks for being patient with me. While I will never, ever hold a story hostage for reviews (only the lowest of scum does that), I do always appreciate them, evne if they're just asking or encouraging me to update. Y'all rock. That said and done, here's chapter 41. Hopefully it makes up for the wait._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 41st Annual Hunger Games**

The previous year's games had been such a hit that even though they had just vowed to step up the intensity a level or two, the Capitol knew that they had to keep that trend going. With the full intent of outdoing themselves once again, the Gamemakers got to work.

Their result, for better or for worse, was the 41st Annual Hunger Games. Of course, creating a stellar arena with intriguing hazards and traps was only half of what made a games unforgettable or forgettable. The other half was decided by what kind of tributes got reaped for the games: who volunteered, who got picked by chance, and, on rare occasions, whose reapings were rigged to silence dangerous rebels.

Fortunately, there didn't have to be any riggings in the reaping this year, and there were tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 5 that all volunteered, as well as a rather bloodthirsty girl from District 7. Rafe Terrn and Lenina Cross from District 2 led the show, and were quickly supported by Azalea Markett and Viktor Williams. They were joined by Heather Mace from District 7, and thus the 5-strong career pack for the 41st year of the games was born.

Opposing them were the volunteer pair from District 5: Henry Gale and Marcelina (nicknamed Marci by some) Kovac. In the shadows, likely lingering in her methods of subversive scheming the way District 12 so infamously did in recent Hunger Games, stood Ariana Fox, whose eyes lingered on the careers and the intimidating District 5 pair. Would this year's games be another repeat of the one before it, with a career victory at hand; or would one of the outer districts pull an upset? It was never too early or too late to guess, and the Capitol had established a thus far very successful gambling racket around this very thing. Betting on children's lives was second nature to them.

The odds that year were something for the various Panemian audiences to think about. The alliance from District 5 scored high, with Henry scoring a 9 and Marci scoring a 10; and even little Ariana scoring a 7. The pair from District 11, Nefara Rin and Dax Chang, both scored 8s, which also meant that during the games they could very well get sponsors too.

Of course, the career pack did unsurprisingly well. Rafe brought in a perfect 12, while his partner Lenina took a 10. Azalea scored an 11 and Viktor took a 10 as well, promising anyone they considered an enemy that they were all a collective force to be reckoned with. Heather Mace brought in a 9, while her partner, Nazir Wyoming, scored an 8. As a boy with a more rebellious streak, he held a certain disdain for his partner who he felt was sucking up to save her own hide, but at the same time, if it worked, he couldn't exactly blame her.

The games kicked off to a fairly normal start, with 9 tributes falling in the bloodbath. None of the high scoring kids from Districts 1, 2, 5, 7, or 11 were misfortunate enough to die that day, and even little Ariana managed to slip under the radar, even if her partner was not so fortunate. Henry seemed fixed on helping defend Marcelina, although Marci didn't really need protection. Taking responsibility for three of the bloodbath deaths before she sped off southward into a field, she was fierce and mysterious—one of the usual dangerous District 5 tributes. Henry was no pushover either; he had simply adopted a defensive playstyle to balance out Marci's offensive one.

The arena was a treat all on its own. Surrounding the cornucopia clearing were large fields and mountains, with tunnels leading into them. There was a light haze surrounding the skies that gave it an overcast look, but the fog here was not nearly as thick as it had been the previous year. The five careers remained at the cornucopia where there were ample supplies and plenty of food. The remaining tributes dispersed into the labyrinth of caves, only to find that things were trickier than they expected. Inside the tunnels were dim lights and the occasional clearings, but the real trick was the illusion. Many of the stones and pools of water were extremely reflective, and so a shadow in the dim lighting could very well be an enemy tribute, or just their reflection.

No one actually died on the first night, although Nazir managed to steal a kill from the District 5 pair. The careers were mostly just taking the safe route by sticking around the cornucopia as long as they had supplies. This, however, was set to change.

Some say that it was rigged up by the Gamemakers, while others, particularly in the outer districts, attributed it to the ingenuity of the District 12 girl, but whatever the case, little Ariana managed to slip into the careers' camp during the 2nd night and poison more than half of their food. Viktor and Azalea fell victim to it the next morning after Ariana was long gone, and if some of their food was poisoned, they didn't want to risk trying to guess which parts were poisoned and which ones weren't, so the remaining trio headed into the reflective tunnels with everyone else.

Tributes were not the only thing lurking inside these caves, however, and a couple unfortunate District 8 kids found out the hard way that there were large spider-like creatures in here as well. They also ended up coming across Dax, Nefara, Nazir, Marci, and Henry all at different times, keeping them occupied, but not managing to kill anyone. Nefara did take some serious wounds before she and her partner were able to take out the spiders, and on day 4, she got picked off by Rafe, while Dax was killed by Lenina.

Ariana meanwhile, had done some further exploring, finding that the end of one of the longer tunnels led into a tower. The fog in here was thick, but it made it easy to hide. The walls were lined with mirrors as well, meaning that it was much harder to actually locate anything—or anyone. Even the pillars placed systematically around the chamber were reflective, which really distorted vision. Nazir had a close encounter with Marcelina while she was on watch duty whilst Henry slept, but after revealing he did not join the careers, Marci let him off the hook, with both tributes hoping that the other would end up taking the rest of them down before the final confrontation.

The next several days were spent hunting and eliminating tributes until only 7 remained: Ariana from '12, the pair from '2, the pair from '7, and the pair from '5. Henry would wind up taking 7th as he and Marcelina battled against the career pack. They were outnumbered and outgunned, but not necessarily outclassed. Henry's defensive game was enough to allow Marcelina to get right up close and personal with her own axes.

"I don't even know why you're here," she taunted to the District 7 girl, "you're no career."

"I don't have to be," Heather leered, "I just have to be strong enough to kill you!"

"One does not simply kill the empress of metal," Marcelina grinned.

"But we can kill your friend." Heather grinned. Marcelina jumped back, swiveling her head where she saw Rafe's sword sticking out of Henry's back. She swore loudly and took a few more steps back before disappearing into the fog. The careers gave chase, but to no avail.

The career pack nearly had a rough patch with traps they knew belonged to Ariana, but they couldn't find that girl any easier than they could find Marcelina.

However, poetic justice for Marci and poetic irony for Heather as not more than a day later, the latter was ambushed by her own partner, Nazir.

"Marcelina Kovac sends her regards, fake-career." He teased. "sucking up to the Capitol will just get you killed so elegantly."

The tears of defeat were not enough to sway Nazir in his decision, and he turned to face the careers before vanishing into the fog as well. They gave chase, following him until suddenly another cannon went off. They heard the sound of scuttling in front of them, which meant that the victim had likely been Nazir. Spider-mutts were the likely culprit, but these ones were behaving very systematically as opposed to randomly attacking them like the others had been.

"It's '12!" Rafe warned, "It has to be!" The two careers began fighting off the legions of spider-mutts, which was made difficult due to all the mirror-like reflective surfaces everywhere.

"Well how did she prevent herself from getting attacked by them?" Nefara growled, nearly stumbling over Nazir's corpse, "that doesn't even make any sense! At the Gamemakers rigging it against us?"  
"The Gamemakers wouldn't rig it against their lapdogs," a voice taunted from the mists, growing fainter down the tunnel, "and they'd certainly not rig it in favor of the most rebellious district in Panem…"

Rafe and Nefara raced after the voice, following it through the mist and up into one of the towers. Here it was foggier, and the mirrors were everywhere. What none of them knew was that Marcelina was also hiding here, quietly waiting for the others to duke it out. She was a bit disappointed that the District 12 girl had led the District 2 pair right into her lair, but she'd make do.

"It's just a matter of me making them not want to kill and eat me." Ariana giggled, throwing knives from the shadows. Her reflection appeared in faint parts on the reflective glass, and it took Nefara watching closely to see where they were coming from, right after one of them grazed her arm. She pinpointed Ariana and took her out with a swift knife throw to the forehead, only for it to bounce off the mirror instead. Ariana giggled, but did not move, and so Nefara guessed again, this time luckily getting it right and striking down the little saboteur on the spot. It was only after her cannon fired that Marcelina emerged, positioning herself ideally so that her reflection appeared everywhere, and it was hard to tell where she really was. She had been rehearsing these movements for hours and now it was paying off.

"I'll eviscerate you myself! Rafe roared, drawing his sword and striking against the reflections in attempts to find the real (and very elusive) Marci.

Nefara attempted to attack as well, but she had the same luck as Rafe, while Marcelina moved elusively around the pillars and behind the careers. She used one of her axes to strike Nefara down, killing her instantly. With Rafe at her side, he was now face to face with a grinning Marcelina, ready to finish the game off once and for all.

"14 days of wandering down foggy tunnels of mirrors and this is how you go," the District 5 girl leered.

"You think that just because you offed my partner means I'm going to give up so easily?" Rafe took a swing at Marci, who ducked under it just in time, "After I kill you I'm going to kick your face in—might make it look prettier."  
"Oh, ho, ho…" Marcelina cackled, "my face will be the only one they remember, as I line the Capitol plaza as victor number 41!"

"We'll see about that!" Rafe jeered.

"No we won't!" Marcelina taunted as she lodged her axe into Rafe's chest. "Game over, son."

Rafe clutched his chest, and made an attempt at one final swing that nearly decapitated Marcelina. She saved herself only by how flexible she was, bending backwards to evade the slash. It did cut her belt, but she kept her pants from falling down as she caught her breath, and the final cannon rang with Rafe as nothing more than a corpse on the ground. Marcelina had just become the 6th victor from District 5, and the 41st victor of the Hunger Games.

Slightly crazy from before the games, Marci's life from here was still fairly normal, and she settled back into District 5 fairly easily. Her face was not ugly by any means, but she was not one of the excessively pretty victors that would need to go to the Capitol too often. Her face was too stern, almost as if she was always frowning or grinning viciously. Still, she had managed to prove that while her district produced hit-and-miss tributes, that when they were "hits", they tended to hit hard, and hit fast. That was a trend that she hoped to continue as she became the next mentor for tributes to come…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)


	42. The 42nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _There's been recent clamour about what my update schedule for this fic is. The answer... I don't know. To be on the safe side though, I'll probably update it every week or two, maybe on Mondays now that I've finished one of my other fanfics. If you're a member and have a question about my update/writing schedule, drop me a PM. if you're not a member and have the same question, make an account and PM me. Alternately, I've got about 5 or 6 other Hunger Games fanfics that hopefully will entertain you._  
_That said, the 42nd games are part of the "golden age" series I have going on, and as such it's a particularly lengthy chapter, and was actually pretty fun to write. No point in spoiling it though, when it's right here in front of us._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 42nd Annual Hunger Games **

While the last few Hunger Games had all been very popular among the Capitol citizenry, there was one minor complaint in regards to the arena designs that a few people had started to voice. Claiming that the Gamemakers were relying on the fog element too much was the biggest concern, but it seemed that most people were willing to set aside that disbelief for a while as long as the games continued to be exciting. For the Capitol, this simply meant that they would simply make sure not to use any sort of fog for the 42nd Annual Hunger Games.

One of the aspects that the Gamemakers watched for in the tribute pool was watching for who volunteered and why they did. For the career districts, they mostly just watched to see how enthusiastic the tributes were, or the level of gusto they exuded racing to or standing proudly on the stage. This year didn't give them their usual overly enthusiastic tributes, although the pair were intriguing enough.

District 1 produced a pair of siblings: Jack Glamm and Jessica Glamm, a fierce pair of warriors that would definitely be scoring high. Over in District 2, Amanda Lussier made it to the stage with a level of speed and savagery that almost guaranteed her a strong score and good sponsorship and support. Moments later, she was joined by a levelheaded 16-year-old boy named Niles Lincoln, who everyone saw as something of an oddity. While nimble, he did not exactly seem built for speed, and contrary to being one of the biggest or strongest boys in the potential tribute pool, Niles was actually a much slenderer young man, and one of the smallest ones that had tried to volunteer.

While District 3 and District 4 produced volunteers, they didn't stand out the way some of the other tributes did. There were no further volunteers this year, but at least one of District 5's tributes: a girl named Star Caelum, seemed promising. District 9 also managed to produce an intimidating young man. This Luca Donners fellow later proved to be rather adept with the sickle and the sword in the training center, and as someone from one of the poor, outer districts, it was highly unlikely that he would be joining up with Jack, Jessica, Amanda, or Niles. This year's career pack did break the usual trend. Usually it was the District 2 tributes that were faster and stronger, while the District 1 kids were usually more slender and attractive. This year, both Niles and Amanda were the slender and attractive ones, while the Glamm siblings both had likely been training intensely for this moment their entire lives, obsessing over it to the point where they were not concerned about having to fight each other in the arena. If that ended up happening, they would deal with it. Until then, they would remain obvious allies.

Star wandered through the training room to scope out any promising non-career tributes, eventually running into the boy from District 6, Nathan Audi. As someone similarly proficient with building and creating things, she figured that they could make a decent and intriguing alliance, and Nathan seemed to agree with her considering that they had formed an alliance on the 2nd day.

Of course, as there was on many different occasions, a couple of the outer districts, particularly Hunter Smith and Esther Warrington from District 11, formed an alliance with each other. They were originally going to try and recruit the 18-year-old boy from District 12, but he didn't exactly seem like a strong or even necessarily a very friendly type. Most likely he was from one of the poorest parts of the poorest district, and as such, did not exactly get proper nourishment. His partner, 15-year-old Iris Coaler, didn't seem too much better, but there was a certain glint in her eyes that spelled trouble.

When training scores rolled around, tributes watched for who would need to be avoided, who could be killed off in the bloodbath, or who needed to be exterminated as early as possible in fear of how dangerous they might become. Of course, that tactic seldom ever worked, but that didn't stop many from trying it over the years,-as it did enjoy at least some success now and then.

Whatever the case, the Glamms both scored 10s, while Amanda and Star both scored 11s. Niles surprised everyone by scoring a 12, but he dismissively laughed it off and told his allies to think nothing of it. It was probably just a fluke. The pair from 11 both scored 8s, Iris scored a 9, and Nathan scored a 7. Some of the other tributes were also concerned about Luca's performance, and these fears were also solidified when the boy scored a 10. Despite this, some tribute stook a small bit of comfort in knowing that it would be the arena that determined the success or failure of anyone, regardless of how high or low they scored…

While Niles had been practicing with knives and swords for most of his time in the training center, he quickly betrayed his own secret. His score of 12 had been no fluke at all: when the gong sounded, he beelined it for the nearest bow, before picking off four tributes on his own with frighteningly deadly accuracy. It was in this moment that the other careers knew that they were messing with one of the scariest tributes to ever pick up a weapon in Hunger Games history.

Luckily for them, no one else died at Niles' hand that morning, but somehow, little Iris managed to escape the fray, even if she armed with nothing but a bag of food.

The arena was definitely something that would favor children from the likes of District 2, 1, or 12. The rocky valleys, cliffs, and mountains made it clear that this was some sort of quarry-type area. Coming from districts were rocks and mountains were abundant meant that these tributes would have an advantage—or that most of them would Iris' partner still wound up being one of the 10 tributes to die in that bloody morning.

It seemed that the only bag of food-related supplies had been snatched up by Iris, and so most of the tributes ended up scouting around the arena to see what it held. The days and nights were perfectly clear without even so much as dust clouds to obscure the tributes' views, let alone dust clouds. There were creeks up in the mountains, and the clear skies made even the nights pretty plainly visible.

Water was not a problem for most tributes, although food was a little harder to come by. Star teamed up with Nathan in an attempt to find where Iris went. They managed to track her surprisingly easily, but were surprised to see the messy-haired girl perched comfortably on a small rocky platform, surrounded by jagged cliffs. It was a precarious path to take, but they had throwing knives and projectile weapons in case the girl tried anything.  
Iris didn't even have a slingshot; just a pile of softball-sized rocks within reach as she casually ate her meal. No one expected that she'd actually be able to hit anyone with them, but they gravely underestimated the strength of Iris' throwing arm. Calmly setting down her jerky, she picked up a rock, closing one of her eyes, bringing her arm back and lobbing the rock with such dangerous precision that it struck Star right in the forehead. She lost her footing and tumbled off into the rocky abyss. A cannon fired a moment later and Nathan turned tail to run. That didn't stop Iris from seizing another rock and lobbing it at the back of his head, striking him with literal deadly accuracy. He tumbled to the ground, slipping on a ledge and joining Star in the abyss below. Almost immediately, Iris' odds shot up back in the Capitol, and more bets were placed.

Her next would-be victim came a few days later in the form of the perfect-scoring Niles, who wandered her way. However, instead of getting struck in the head with her rock, he ducked just fast enough for it to graze his long, dark hair, and he retaliated with a well-aimed arrow that struck Iris right between the legs, where the bagginess of her pants fabric took the arrow without it actually hitting her body. However, it did pin her awkwardly to the rock wall. While she tried to free herself, Niles began approaching her, but oddly lowered his bow.

"Here," he offered, "don't move."  
"Do you really think I'm going to go down without a fight?" Iris warned, "that girl from '5 and that boy from '6 were my kills."  
"And four of the bloodbath ones were from my arrows," Niles responded without even skipping a beat, "if I had wanted to hit you with that arrow I did."  
"So why hit me there then?" Iris tilted her head as Niles approached. She was lowering her guard, since Niles had plenty of time to shoot the still somewhat immobilized girl and had not.

"I just wanted to immobilize you enough for you to hear me out."  
"What do you want from me?"  
"I propose an alliance," Niles smirked, dexterously pulling the arrow out of the rock wall it had lodged itself so securely into, "my career buddies betrayed me the moment they saw me off 4 tributes in the arena, fearing that I'm deadly enough that I'd wipe them all out. Obviously it's all true, but I also think that you and I would have more fun offing them together."

"Alright then," Iris's brow furrowed, "although don't be surprised if I suddenly turn on you at any given moment if I feel like you might turn on me first."  
"I wouldn't do that this soon, would I?"  
"If you thought I had outlived my usefulness, I'd say you would."

"I just want to see you throw more rocks at people," Niles laughed, "let's get moving."  
It took a bit of extra convincing before Iris was willing to share her food, but with two long-ranged hunters working together, they were able to bag some prey and replenish their food supply. They climbed to nearly one of the mountain peaks, enjoying the spring water they found there, and watching as another tribute's face showed up in the sky, reducing the number of survivors to 9.

On the note of 9, the District 9 boy, Luca, was still at large as well. The remaining careers were unable to catch him, and Niles had little interest in doing so. Instead, Hunter and Esther were two of his next victims, and then he began to close in on the career pack. A large, robust fellow, it took Jack, Jessica, and Amanda to finally take him down, and even that battle didn't come without casualties and steep price paid. By the time the three careers had taken down Luca, Jessica was dead, Amanda was severely wounded, and Jack was out of commission at least for a while. As opportunists, Niles and Iris took this time as an opportunity to strike. After all, their position on the pinnacle of one of the mountains gave them a wonderful view of the desolate, rocky terrain around them, and so they had an almost birds-eye view of the arena, including the large-scale assault that had gone on between the three careers and the District 9 boy. They would wait a little while for the tension to subside and then strike early in the morning. It was almost as if it was a sign that they were supposed to do this, as the two of them were simultaneously sponsored gifts: Niles got a handful of sleek new arrows, while Iris got a bow of delicious soup and a note from her mentor that made her giggle.

"what's it say?" Niles raised an eyebrow curiously.

"She says that I didn't really need any other kind of gift," Iris quipped, "they can't sponsor me a rock."

"There are plenty of those around here," Niles quipped, "so keep 'em close. Tomorrow we attack."

"Sounds good," Iris nodded in agreement. As such, they didn't even bother staying up much later than the anthem that night, getting sleep now so they could wake up early for their final assault.

Sure enough, before the sun had even risen on the next day, Niles and Iris were homing in on their targets. Taking advantage of Jack and Amanda's injuries, Iris raced in, armed with rocks and her wicked swinging arm. She barely avoided a rock that nicked her ear, while Jack's skull was struck with one of Niles' arrows before he could even fully get to his feet. A cannon fired as Amanda and Iris squared off against each other. Niles aimed another shot, but suddenly staggered back, taking a rather large knife to his gut. Immediately Amanda turned to confront Iris. While rock throwing didn't exactly work as effectively in melee combat, Iris was able to swipe one of Amanda's knives right as she launched a fatal strike at the District 12 girl. Both of them staggered back, Amanda gasping for breath and Iris coughing up blood. Niles used this moment to opportunistically strike Amanda down, and then knelt beside Iris.

"Hey…" he whispered, "sorry I wasn't able to get help you out sooner."

"I could… in theory try to still sucker attack you," A cheeky smile crept onto Iris' face, but she turned and coughed up a spat of blood again, "…but my strength is out."

Niles actually kept the last few moments of the conversation civil. He had genuinely respected Iris against all odds, and she had respected him. It was one of those rare friendships, but like all Hunger Games friendships apart from victors, it was not meant to last. She gave her last breath, and the final cannon rang out, ending the games. Niles was the 8th victor from District 2, and the 42nd victor of the Hunger Games.

Niles remained one of the mellowest victors to emerge from the games, and despite his ruthless fighting skills and deadly accuracy with the bow, he was still a fairly affable and likable man, even later into life. He held a certain appreciation for the subversive and elusive tactics that the tributes from poor districts (particularly District 12) and still held Iris from his games in very high regard. He was a departure from the usual career tribute, but the fame and respect (and admiration, due to his rugged good looks) that he received made him fit right in with the other victors, and Niles was perfectly okay with that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)


	43. The 43rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** _Enter Blight, Johanna's partner in the Quarter Quell during Catching Fire. He "might not have been much" according to her, but he was still apparently 'something' enough to be a victor. Moreover, I had his victory placed in my self-proclaimed "Golden Age", and as such, it's one of the more immersive chapters as well. So while sure, we all know Blight's gonna win the moment we see her name (even if I didn't have this A/N), that doesn't mean he just waltzed to victory. As for what DID happen... you'll just have to find out._  
_Update schedule for the next few is still every Monday (or late Sunday night, depending on timezones, but I'm in the western US) or so. Feedback is always welcome as usual, be it through review or PM._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 43rd Annual Hunger Games**

One of the other tricks that the Capitol Gamemakers had to remember is that tributes, especially from districts known for producing cunning or observant tributes, such as Districts 3, 2, 1, or 5, learned from things the Capitol did, and watched for trends in the games. The career tributes that trained for these games (this group also often included District 4) always tried to find patterns, and many of them studied other tributes in Reaping reruns to see what they were up against.

Of course, just as the tributes changed every year and grew smarter and stronger, so then did the Gamemakers as they rolled out the designs for the 43rd Annual Hunger Games. The arena did not always need dynamic hazards to be interesting: the treacherous, rocky cliffs and mountainous terrain of the previous year had done just fine at being a hostile and dangerous environment. For this year, it was a matter of perfecting that delicate balance between natural dangers and the tributes in question.

The reapings came and went this year in nine districts. District 1 produced a forebodingly strong pair of tributes, while District 2's Casimir and Romula promised to tear up the arena. District 3 did not produce volunteers, but the tribute pair that were chosen from the electronic lottery certainly seemed analytical of everything around them, including each other.

In the training center, the pair from District 3 eyed the other tributes suspiciously, causing the others to become suspicious of them in return. Eyeing the careers in turn were Hana Dusk and Blight McKay from District 7. While they were cool and analytical, they also boasted formidable physical strength given their background as District 7 lumberjacks. While they had not allied with each other formally, Hana and Blight didn't exactly plan on trying to kill each other this early. Unsurprisingly, they were found swinging or throwing axes almost the entire time, for that was what they excelled in. Blight picked up a war hammer a few times, swinging it like a sledgehammer, and finding the results to his liking.

His skill paid off in terms of training scores, with his partner Hana receiving an 8 for her training score, and Blight himself scoring a 10. The tributes from District 3 scored moderately (around 7 and 8), while their friends from District 4 scored slightly higher. The careers scored 9s and 10s, with the District 1 pair scoring 9s, and Casimir and Romula scoring 9s. There were no perfect scores this year; no 12s, and even no 11s, but the spread was also a lot lower—this was one of the few years that no one, not even the smallest tributes from District 12 or District 9, scored below a 5. A tight spread of scores meant either a batch of inferior tributes, or boys and girls so close in skill that it was hard to actually rank them.

Unlike the last couple of years, the career pack from District 1 and District 2 decided to become very tightly knit, not wanting incidents like Niles, Marcelina, or even Miriam to happen again. They wanted unity and camaraderie between them, so that they, trained tributes who spent years of their lives dedicated to excelling at these games, wouldn't get beaten by some kid whose only real reason for being there was getting their name pulled out of a glass bowl or displayed on a large screen.

The arena seemed fairly harmless at first: it was a dense forest jam-packed with large trees, barring the small meadow-like clearing where the golden cornucopia rested. The only thing unusual about it was the grey skies that loomed overhead. Some of the tributes suspected another eternal night. Some suspected fog, and others braced for the worst. At the moment though, most of the tributes focused on snatching up weapons or supplies and getting out of there. 8 tributes were killed in the bloodbath, but something unusual happened this year that had not really happened since the early days. Instead of the career pack seizing the supplies and weapons at the cornucopia, an alliance of tributes from Districts 9, 11, and 12 did. As such, 5 of the 6 of them survived the bloodbath, with the only casualty being the boy from District 9. The pair from District 8 disappeared eastward into the woods as well, and the others scattered. The career pack headed north, while Blight and Hana took off to the southwest.

That evening, it was clear what two of the largest hazards in the arena were: lightning, which was attracted to the frighteningly tall trees that covered all but the center of the entire arena, and red-eyed monkey mutts that had an almost humanoid shape to them. These savage mutts attacked tributes with impunity, but were not terribly hard to fight off. Hana used a pair of swords to devastating effect, while Blight swung away with a pair of handaxes. Thankfully for them, the lightning and thunder seemed far off, and so after slaying the red-eyed monkeys with minimal injuries on their own end, they decided to take their chances against the weather, and built a very low-lying shelter half in the ground. They managed to survive the night, and the 2nd morning kicked off, being just as dim and dreary as the first. It started to rain, although the canopy of trees kept most of the tributes dry. Unfortunately, for whatever reason (probably the Capitol at work again), the water made the trees conduct electricity even more so, posing a greater threat to the tributes.

The five tributes from '9, '11, and '12 remained in the shelter of the golden horn, waiting out the storm with their ample supplies. The career pack wandered eastward, closing in on the District 8 pair and killing off one of the kids from District 4 in the meantime. However, ultimately the hunt was slow, what with the heavy rains and the treacherous lightning. As such, it took a trick from the Gamemakers on day 5 to do the trick.

By this point, there were still 14 tributes remaining, meaning that this whole time, only two had died outside the bloodbath. While the rains had been reduced to a mere drizzle at this point, the periodic and somewhat sporadic lightning strikes continued, roasting trees in the areas they struck. Luckily for the tributes, none of them were under them just yet, although Romula was nearly hit by one that fell over. Fortunately for her, she only lost her sleeping bag instead of her life.

Late in the afternoon, however, a bolt of lightning struck the golden cornucopia, effectively roasting all four tributes that had been hiding inside. Little Sophie Howe (who was actually 17, but was a rather diminutive girl) from District 12 had been out trying to scout out the arena when it happened, and so she was suddenly the only member of her alliance that had survived.

While some in District 11 and District 12 thought that this was the Capitol's subtle way of silencing rebels or potential rebels, in truth, the only reason they had done it was because their "warning shots" had not worked, and the alliance apart from Sophie had not left the cornucopia at all—they had had no reason to, and did not assume that the dangerous lightning would strike them when there were so many tall trees surrounding them on all sides.

Oddly enough, little Sophie got sponsored some wire, and she knew exactly what to do with it. In an extremely risky maneuver, she began springing from tree to tree, her small, lithe form able to jump from the thick branches with relative ease. Like many District 12 tributes before her, she had gone into full-on saboteur mode. She attempted to get lightning to strike the trees right above the career camp, but they were onto her, and fled before it could happen. It did not stop her from throwing flash bombs at them from the trees, keeping them on their toes. None of them were small or swift enough to climb the trees the way she was, and so if they tried, Sophie could easily escape before they could catch her.

While all the others began scurrying around hunting for each other, Blight actually hunkered down and started reinforcing his shelter. His ingenuity and strength (shown against a few tributes, but mostly the red-eyed monkeys) had actually earned him a sponsor gift, where his mentor sent him a small shovel. It was built in such a way that it could almost double as an axe-type weapon due to the handle ending in a sharp metallic head, but it was also sent with the notion that electricity was probably his most dangerous non-tribute foe, and so with an easy way to move earth, he could ideally ground the lightning if it ever struck near or around him.

Hana was a bit skeptical of his whole strategy though, even if he had made enough room for her for the time being. She called him out on it.

"Are you just going to try and live here?" She tilted her head.

"I'm gonna let 'em come to me." Blight insisted, "if the Capitol tries to flush me out with mutts I'll fight for my life, and with other tributes I'll do the same."

"They'll still smoke you out," Hana frowned.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes," Blight quipped.

And that was exactly what he did. Blight wound up fending off mutts a few times after Hana left, and his shelter was built in such a way that it grounded any lightning strikes. Blight also spent his free time chopping the bases of some of the trees so that in the event that they fell over, they would fall away from his little semi-underground hut rather than on it. There were perks to being a lumberjack after all.

Ultimately, Blight went more than half a week completely unnoticed as he took his time and concealed his shelter, rigging it up with carefully placed traps and concealing it to help it blend in with the stormy environment more. Hana was not so fortunate, and she found her demise at Romula's hands on day 9, ultimately taking 7th place.

Day 10 had Blight emerging from his hovel, where he confronted one of the tributes from District 1, who was clearly hunting. Not wanting the boy to get too close to his own hideout, Blight pulled his arm backwards and threw a hatchet at his victim with stunning precision. It struck him in the back, severing his spinal column and killing him a few moments later.

Day 11 and Day 12 were plagued with such heavy rains that none of the 5 remaining tributes even moved. In truth, the Gamemakers were trying to condense the arena, and so when the 13th day rolled in, it was a lot smaller than people remembered it.

Sophie went out in a blaze of glory on this day. Leaping from one of the tallest trees she could find, armed with two grenades, she jumped down onto the career pack, killing off Casimir and the girl from District 1, and wounding Romula. It was not enough to kill her, and so naturally she retaliated by ending Sophie's life with her spear. Now it was just her and Blight contending for the crown, and she had a feeling that she'd have to come to him. She spent the remainder of her evening resting, watching as the faces of Sophie and her two remaining companions filled the sky.

"Looks like it's down to me and '7…" she mumbled to herself, "let the 43rd Hunger Games begin."

Incidentally, Blight was flushed out of his shelter by flooding, which was ironically one of the last things he expected to happen, but by this point, the games had been going on for 14 days and it was time for them to culminate in a finale. As such, it became a battle of lances and axes as Romula and Blight battled for victory—for survival.

"But don't you know?" Blight warned as he swung his axes to prevent becoming impaled, "lances beat swords; swords beat axes; and axes beat lances?"  
"Then I best watch my step," Romula shook her head, twirling her spear to avoid getting her face cloven in two, "and hopefully my 9 years of training will pay off."

The two tributes continued battling it out in the rainy afternoon before Blight got the upper hand and struck his opponent down. He didn't necessarily regret it, but at the same time, he had developed a certain amount of respect for this girl who now lay dead at his feet as the final cannon rang out. Blight raised his axes skyward in triumph, before accepting his fate. He had just become the 4th victor from District 7, and the 43rd victor of the games overall.

Blight McKay was not really one to talk a whole lot, and this didn't change even after he was showered in the glory and fame that came with being a victor. He simply went back to doing what he always did, and mostly minded his own business, much like he did in the arena. District 7 might not have been a career district, but it produced strong and hardy fighters that knew their way around with an axe—and Blight would help ensure that that trend continued…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)


	44. The 44th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _A while ago I mentioned that some chapters got written out of order before others. This chapter is one of those. It's also important to note that the victor of this year's games has also made appearances in many of my other to my 35th chapter, this is one of them that I've been really looking forward to sharing, and so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it. All feedback is appreciated. _  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 44th Annual Hunger Games**

Even over 50 years after the fact, few people could ever forget the greatness and excitement that was the 44th Annual Hunger Games. There was an exciting array of tributes that year, from the ruthless and cunning Mason Hua and Alexis Alewine from District 2, to the fierce and merciless Flint DiFronzo from District 1—one of victor Gleam DiFronzo's children.

Across the country, however, District 11 produced a rarity as well—two volunteers. The boy, Rye Grove, had volunteered in place of a much weaker boy that wouldn't have stood a chance. The girl, Sagittaria Svenja, had actually been reaped, but had screamed to volunteer so quickly that most people assumed she had planned on volunteering regardless of whose name was chosen. Thus, everyone considered them "the volunteer pair from District 11."  
The oddities did not stop there, however. Over in District 12, the widowed Lelani Togisala had to watch both of her children get reaped for the games, and knew that even if one returned home, she would still suffer a considerable loss.

The Chariot parade was notable that year as well, as if a sign of things to come in the actual games. It was full of exciting costumes, from the ironclad warriors that District 2 was depicted as, to the gadgety geniuses in District 3, all the way down to the agricultural goddesses that District 11 got dressed up as. Their popularity that year gave rise to a catchy little Capitol chant that lasted for decades all the way to the present day:  
_"District 11, District 11; who gives us fruits, gives us strength!"_

In the training hall, however, the District 11 pair made the most unlikely of alliances: Krystal Saffron, the girl from District 1. She was hardly as bloodthirsty and sadistic as the girl from District 2, or as her own partner Flint. Naturally, Rye and Sagittaria were a bit hesitant to trust her at first, and this lasted all the way through private sessions as well.

The careers certainly had some competition this year, as the District 11 pair continued to steal nearly all the limelight. Flint had scored a perfect 12 in training, but both Rye and Sagittaria had scored 11s, a rarity for most non-career districts—especially in those days.

Sagittaria in particular stole the show during the interviews though—clad in a fiery red dress and coupled with her outgoing and passionate personality, she was dubbed the original "Girl on Fire" (her favorite color was red, even). By contrast, Rye's getup was an icy-colored suit that shimmered in the dazzling lights of Caesar's stage, but he managed to remain impressive on-stage with his honest and down-to-earth statements that expressed courage and valor—a relaxing departure from Sagittaria's wild humor and outrageously funny lies.

Conversely, few people expected anything out of District 12. Kyla Togisala was a tiny little thing that had clearly never eaten a full meal in her life before her trip to the Capitol, and her broken speech hinted at some other type of malnourishment. She had to lean in close to hear Caesar talk even—the girl had poor hearing. Most people assumed that she would be toast within minutes. On the other hand, most people figured that District 11 might produce another victor this year—that one of "the two lovers" might wind up winning. After all, despite them trying not to think about it, Rye and Sagittaria had indeed fallen somewhat in love. They figured that as long as one of them died before the final two, everything would be alright, but otherwise, dismissed the thought of having to kill each other, entirely.

In the arena, both Rye and Sagittaria escaped the bloodbath nearly unharmed, and were soon joined by Krystal from District 1, who they agreed to let onto their alliance. The career pack, while only three strong, would still be deadly though—all three of them were particularly bloodthirsty this year.

Rye figured that a three-on-three would be a fair enough fight, but didn't exactly want to encounter them. The rich jungle that made up the arena that year was full of food and water, almost to the point of having too much water.

10 tributes died in that bloodbath, and another one was killed that night, coincidentally marking the 1000th tribute to die in the games—not that any of the other tributes knew this.

The next morning had Krystal, Sagittaria, and Rye meeting their matches as they stumbled upon the career pack, and a fight began. Krystal's sword, Sagittaria's bow, and Rye's mace were up against Alexis' spear, Flint's sword, and Mason's knives. They were fairly evenly matched for a while until Flint managed to hack a nice-sized wound into Rye's leg, causing him to start to bleed out. Krystal told them to run, while she held them off.

It was at that moment that they knew they'd never see her again. Within 15-20 minutes of the incident, another cannon had gone off, and they were pretty sure it was not Flint.

Luckily, the high-scoring District 11 pair were not without fans and followers, for they were sponsored a large poultice of Capitol medicine for Rye's leg that managed to curb the bleeding after it was applied on the wound and then wrapped.

A couple of days later, Rye and Sagittaria made their way back to the cornucopia, only to hear another cannon go off. As they hacked their way through the jungle to reach the clearing, they saw a hovercraft picking up the body of a boy, but there was no sign of any other tributes in sight.

"Think they triggered a mine?" Sagittaria quipped,

"Doubtful," Rye shrugged, "I don't think there'd be anything left of him to collect if they did."

They approached the cornucopia with caution, only to see a small tribute lurking in the shadows, who they were fairly certain was that District 4 boy's killer.

"Look kid, I can see you back there and I've got an arrow at the ready." Saj warned, although both of these statements were lies, "come on out—maybe we can bash some career skulls in or something."

Hesitantly, the tiny girl stepped out of the cornucopia, revealing a number 12 on her shoulders—it was Kyla Togisala, the half-deaf girl that no one thought would get anywhere. An alliance was formed that day, where Kyla revealed that surprisingly, that was the 4th tribute she had killed since the games had begun. Kyla had a wicked fighting spirit to her that was not going to die easily.

Days 5, 6, 7, and 8 were slightly unusual, insomuch that it was an extremely long night (and only one tribute died), and for a while the tributes thought that the Gamemakers were going to pull that "endless night" scheme again. Rye and Sagittaria wouldn't have minded it, especially because even despite their efforts to try and curb it, their relationship grew stronger with each passing day that they were at each other's side. Kyla thought their little romance was cute, which also helped.

However, as the sun rose on day 9, these theories were dismissed, and the days of Districts 12 and 11 livin' the high life in the cornucopia came to an end. They were attacked by a swarm of large cat-like mutts, which drew the tributes together. Rye and Sagittaria met up with the District 3 pair, but soon had to split up as they were chased by the careers. Rye went with the latter pair—Bolt and Techa, while Sagittaria and Kyla took off another direction. Rye managed to wound Flint, which in turn caused him, Mason, and Alexis to draw back, but Flint had not gone off without dealing some damage, and Bolt was mortally wounded. Rye put him out of his misery, knowing that there was nothing he or Techa could do to save him. This same lake was where Sagittaria and Kyla ended up making camp much later that evening, albeit on the other side.

The next couple of days were silence, until Sagittaria woke up during the night to find a boy standing over her and Kyla, about to kill the smaller girl. She wasted no time in whipping out her bow and dropping him, shrugging it off as simply business. Eventually, Rye and Sagittaria managed to reunite at the lake where Bolt and the District 7 boy that had nearly killed Kyla had died, and things started looking up again.

Day 13 was when things started happening again. After two more days of "endless night", the sun was up again, and the games were ready to draw to a close. It seemed the Gamemakers enjoyed 14-day Hunger Games, given the recent history of games of that length.

Near the end of the 13th day, Kyla managed to scout ahead for her alliance and put an end to a District 8 girl, as the tributes made their way to the cornucopia—knowing that if they strayed too far the Gamemakers might send another mutt on them. On the other hand, they were all fairly confident that they had a chance to win. Over the course of the games, Sagittaria had been sponsored a snazzy new bow, Rye had been given a pair of spiked iron knuckles from their mentor Seeder, and Kyla had been sponsored a pair of handaxes that she wielded almost like a kid from District 7.

They knew that the games would probably end tomorrow, and so they prepared for it by sleeping early. When asked if she was worried about it by Rye, Sagittaria simply chuckled, and also gave birth to a catchphrase that would later become a nationwide meme.

"it's true what they say then…" she quipped, "May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock so that you don't feel anything when you die."

Early the next morning they were woken by a rumbling sound. The arena was collapsing around them (or so it appeared). Rye, Sagittaria, and Kyla barreled through the jungle, appearing in the clearing right as another girl appeared in front of them—Techa.

They had had a decent friendship prior to this moment, but in surprise, Rye had slammed his mace into her skull, mortally wounding her. However, they realized that she had not been helpless.

"She's armed!" Rye exclaimed, "The mines! They're gonna blow!"

The others knew exactly what had happened. Techa and Bolt had been one of those crafty pairs of District 3 tributes that knew how to dig up and reactivate the landmines around the tributes' pedestals.

Sure enough, not more than 8 seconds after they had put some distance between themselves and that District 3 girl, her weapon exploded in a rather spectacular fashion. No one was hurt, although it did nearly knock Kyla off her feet from the sheer force behind the blast.

But they were out of the frying pan and into the fire. In front of them were Mason, Alexis, and Flint, who had similarly been drawn to the cornucopia to bring the games to a close.

"I was wondering when I'd get to kill you, Kyla," Alexis jeered, "your brother was too easy. Seems you were the one with the fighting spirit, after all…"

"I suppose at this point," Sagittaria butted in, "that fancy talk isn't worth the trouble, and that at this point, we should just fight and get this over with—and that's coming from the professional liar."

"Fair enough," Flint cracked his knuckles, "to the death!"

Rye and Flint were immediately locked in combat, with the mace against the sword. Sagittaria used her knives against Mason's, while Kyla and Alexis engaged in a furious combat that few had ever seen.

Mason was the first to fall, but everything that happened after that happened so quickly. Moments later, a spear was sticking out of Kyla's back. Alxeis used both hands to raise the impaled girl into the air, where surprisingly, Kyla's grip on her axes did not falter.

"And here is where you die, child." She grinned. "you… lose."

"no…" Kyla wheezed, "You… LOSE!" with the final burst of her strength, Kyla swung her axes and all but decapitated Alexis instantly, falling onto her back, motionless—but still alive.

This death gave Rye another surge of strength, and he screamed at Flint, as if to blame him for all of these problems.

"THIS ENDS NOW!" he roared, before tackling the career boy and using the spiked knuckles to almost literally beat Flint to a bloody pulp. Within minutes, the fight had ended, and two tributes remained.

Three actually remained, because Kyla's cannon had never gone off. Clearly the girl was mortally wounded, but before she fully died, she managed to give the District 11 pair a heartfelt salute and some of the most touching words a fallen ally could give.

"we… won…" she whispered, before finally giving up the ghost.

However, this left Sagittaria and Rye in a dilemma that they feared from the get-go: they were the last two, and one would have to kill the other.

"Coin toss?" Sagittaria whipped out her tribute token—a beat-up old silver dollar from a bygone age. "winner… has to kill the other, I guess?"  
"No." Rye closed her hand. "The winner goes home."  
"But even then," Sagittaria sighed, "I don't want to have to kill you."  
"I guess it's a mixed blessing then?" Rye shrugged, "I don't want to kill you either."  
Much to Sagittaria's dismay, she won the coin-flip that happened a moment later.

"Best two out of three?" she offered, hoping that the odds would fall into Rye's favor so that he could go home, but he agreed to sacrifice himself for Sagittaria just as she wanted to for him—so there was no changing his mind.

"I know you'll end it fast," he put his arms around her, before touching his lips to hers. "I love you, Sagittaria. District 11, District 11; who gives us fruits, gives us strength."  
"I love you too, Rye." Sagittaria's eyes watered as she stepped back, drew her bow, and ended Rye's life almost instantly. A cannon went off, and the games had ended. Sagittaria was the 4th victor from District 11, and the 44th victor of the Hunger Games.

The golden-tongued girl that Panem had met before the games had managed to survive, and comedy became one of her therapies. However, it was a long time before she was ever able to love again, for she could only ever think of the boy who she had met on a train, fallen in love with on a balcony, bonded with in an arena, and then killed at a cornucopia.

The Capitol found the story absolutely thrilling, and while many of them were also sad about Rye's death, the games became some of the most thrilling ones in history: the powerful District 11 pair that nearly swept the field; the malnourished girl from District 12 that defied all odds and nearly won, and the heartwrenching romance between Rye and Sagittaria that was doomed the moment they had volunteered for the games.

And thus, the tale of Sagittaria the Storyteller was born. Her old catchphrase about the odds ended up spreading all through District 11, before seeping into Districts 12, 6, and 2 by the following year. It did not take long after that for it to spread. Whatever the case, Sagittaria had left a legacy.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)


	45. The 45th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This was another one of those chapters that I had written a while back, before it was brought to my attention that apparently Chaff won the 45th Hunger Games. I couldn't find any official confirmation in or out of the books (apart from Katniss' "thirty years ago" remark, which I had just assumed was an estimate), and as such, there is no Chaff this year. Needless to say, he's not being replaced; he'll just show up a couple years down the line, closer to Haymitch's games. On a similar note, this one was designed as being a direct sequel to the last one, and so there's a bit of continuity here that I also wanted to preserve. Fear not though... Chaff will appear soon. If you've enjoyed the series thus far, feel free to tell me how I'm doing-or spread the word around. the more readers, the merrier._  
_That said... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 45th Annual Hunger Games**

Some people called the 5th decade of Hunger Games "The Golden Years" considering how full of surprises they so often were, but also for the cunning and deviousness of tributes and Gamemakers alike. The 45th Annual Hunger Games were just like their predecessors, producing promising tributes that made the games almost feel like a sequel to the year before. Blaze DiFronzo represented District 1, volunteering to avenge the death of his older brother Flint the year before. Partnered with him was a sinisterly beautiful woman named Victoria Salazar, while District 2 produced Alan Blackstone and Roxanne Aranai, both determined to put their family names on the victors' map.

District 11 did not produce volunteers this year, but with a cunning mentor like Sagittaria Svenja at their side, even a small boy like Leon McFaren or the Mayor's daughter Daisy Hallowell might have been able to stand a chance if she took the older girl's advice.

Another promising candidate was a District 4 girl from the Tallarico family named Valendria, often referred to by her middle name Varsha. A gigantic beast of a woman, she almost felt more like the stock right out of District 2, even if Alan and Roxanne were definitely not fighters to sneeze at. This year would be full of intrigue and surprising tributes all the while though.

Few people thought much about Kiva Rivnay and Dezna Meraxa from District 6 until they stood out in the parade wearing elaborate armor and attire that resembled exotic astronauts. In the training center, they also proved their competence with building gadgets and traps, with their only real competition in this field being from District 3, where a quiet and cunning pair named Clemont Ishiko and Hikari Kuro also excelled. Despite her mighty prowess, Valendria seemed to be fairly elusive and did not seem to show interest in joining the careers. Instead, she went after a young District 5 girl by the name of Glimmer DeLosSantos, and the two quickly became friends.

It became clear within the next few days how the tribute performances were going to play out. Blaze, Valendria, and the careers were going to score very high, Glimmer and the District 6 pair would score moderately high, with Leon and Daisy from District 11 scoring around the average ranges. At the end of the week, it turned out to be almost exactly as the gamblers and Gamemakers predicted, with Blaze scoring an 11, the other careers scoring 9s and 10s, Kiva, Dezna, and Glimmer scoring 8s, and Valendria scoring a 12. Leon, Daisy, and a small girl named Hazel from District 12 all scored 6s, but it was clear that Hazel was no Kyla.

Incidentally, during the interviews the ones that stole the show were Kiva and her dazzling rainbow getup; and her partner Dezna was decked out in a similarly dazzling bright colored suit representing lightning. Their stylists had explained that it was matching their skills—Kiva's rainbow being a reminder that she was a jack of all trades, and Dezna's lightning being symbolic of his blinding speed. Time would tell to see how useful these tricks ended up being.

The arena was also a distant departure from the sinisterly beautiful jungle of the year before. Instead the tributes found themselves surrounded by a ruined city, full of decrepit greys and browns instead of the lush greens and blues and yellows of the year before.

The first really odd thing the tributes noticed was that the cornucopia only had a few proper weapons among the supplies. Instead, it was littered with a huge array of various metal shards. A lot of the tributes didn't even know what to do with them until Victoria grabbed one and threw it at a girl from District 9, decapitating her immediately. After the first blood had been spilled, it seemed to shake the tributes into knowing what they had to do, and the fighting was on.

The bloodbath included 9 casualties, and the games were on as the careers teamed up, Kiva and Dezna took off in another direction, while Clemont and Hikari took off into the ruins not too far from where Glimmer and Valendria had fled. The urban environment of this arena meant that perhaps districts like 8, 5, 3, and 6 would excel more than usual.

Exploring the ruins revealed to Kiva and Dezna that it was a war-torn city—or at least had been designed to imitate one. Kiva could even imagine Capitol armored vehicles roaring through these ravaged streets in whatever war they were battling.

Daisy, despite highly doubting her own capabilities in this arena, was taken under the wings of the District 6 pair, who also managed to keep her safe for the rest of the afternoon as they hunted for water and shelter. The ruined buildings solved the shelter problem, while the water was found in these large potholes that seemed, surprisingly enough, to be clean. The tributes still used filters to help ensure that they did not become diseased, and soon the little trio was hunkering down in a three-and-a-half-walled roofless building for the evening.

Unbeknownst to the careers at the time, was that the mentors from District 6 and District 11 had advised their tributes to ally themselves with one another. The reasoning behind this was unclear, but these games were full of various mysteries. Another of these included the odd smell of gas that Leon and Hazel had found during their afternoon trekking. These two were trying to find the pair from District 6 as they trekked through the darkness. While District 12 had not been in on the alliance between '6 and '11, most tributes from '11 and '12 had soft spots for one another insomuch that alliances between the two districts were fairly common.

Originally Leon and Hazel had just wanted to get away from the foul-smelling buildings, but during this time they were nearly sniped by Dezna, who thought they were enemy tributes. After quietly calling out who he was, Leon was let in, and little Hazel climbed up into the shelter with them. Even with the five tributes present, it was rather roomy.

They knew that something was wrong the next morning however, when the moon remained bright and high above their heads. It was going to be another one of those dark arenas.

"Might make the place easier on the eyes," Dezna quipped. "I can see through this just fine; How about the rest of you?"

"Well I've got some of those night-vision glasses," Leon piped up, "Hazel and I jacked a pair from the career's supply pile last night before running."

"Impressive," Kiva nodded approvingly. "I think you two will fit right in." as they settled down for the night they rummaged through their supplies, Kiva found some matches, and wondered what they might be used for. Leon mentioned the smell of gas, and Kiva's mind immediately got to work on how that could be used to their advantage.

They found out not too much later. There were odd smelling pockets of gas that had Kiva's mind heading into overdrive as she thought about how to rig one up for a trap. However, her thought process was interrupted as Victoria suddenly came screaming past them. Figuring that there was something up, they turned to see what she was fleeing from, only to find tracker-jackers on their tails. Immediately, Kiva knew what to do with the matches. The tributes passed through a gas field, only to turn at the last moment as Kiva struck a match and tossed it. The gas ignited, roasting the tracker-jackers swiftly and effectively.

With that threat out of the way, Dezna proposed that they cook and eat the wasps. They were nothing spectacular, but his experience with hallucinogens had taught him that most of the venom was cooked out if you heated them up enough. Daisy was skeptical, but the lack of food was enough for Leon, Hazel, Kiva, and Dezna to give it a shot.

The resulting scene was almost comical from a Capitol perspective. While the toxins in the tracker-jacker venom had been cooked away, the hallucinatory effects remained, which caused the four tributes to see all sorts of wild delusions, and behave a bit comically as they giggled and talked about random things that the Panemian audiences did not see. Daisy, on the other hand, seemed to be dwelling more on the death of Rye Grove from the year before—a legacy that now lived on through victor Sagittaria Svenja, his lover.

Unfortunately, this discomfort caused her to disconnect from the remainder of the group, who only noticed her absence later the next 'morning'. Immediately, however, Hazel, Leon, Kiva, and Dezna were on the prowl with the hopes of finding her before the careers did. They knew Blaze would be after the kids from '11 in particular, as if to avenge his brother Flint from the year before. However, that ws exactly what happened, and with hardly more than a taunt and a remark about how easy it had been, he left Daisy impaled with one of the metal shards while his three companions looked on. Dezna and Kiva attacked, fighting off Alan, Roxanne, and Victoria. While there were no further casualties, Dezna's blade disrupted Alan and sliced Victoria, and in this frenzy, Hazel managed to swipe Alan's sword before the career pack fled. They were a hit-and-run pack this year it seemed, and while it was unorthodox for them, results were something that no one could argue with.

While they made shelter, Dezna felt it was safe to start using some of these metal shards to build a crossbow similar to the one he had built in the training center, which in turn was based off of the one that Sagittaria had constructed the previous year. They were safe for the night, they figured, and so had made themselves comfortable.  
However, the arena was not fully safe, and one of the other tributes learned the hard way that the desolate cityscape was not devoid of mutt life. Giant rat-mutts attacked him and did him in, and some of them also found the ragtag team of tributes in the derelict house they had taken shelter in.

"Ugh, who did this thing's dentistry?" Kiva joked as she and her friends fought off the creatures. Dezna was bitten in the arm, and he griped and complained as Kiva wrapped it, but otherwise, the group was fine for the moment.

Two more cannons belonging to the District 8 pair rang out the next day, although they had been offed by Glimmer and Valendria rather than the careers. The next couple of days were mostly silent, but that meant that odds were the Capitol was going to be looking for some action—and District 6 didn't want to be on the receiving end of an arena hazard if they could avoid it.

On day 9, however, a vicious battle broke out as the career pack swooped back in with the intent of slaying Leon. However, they were disrupted by Glimmer and Valendria, who brought the total number of fighting tributes up to 10: all but two of the tributes—the elusive and mysterious pair from District 3—had just converged on this one spot in a vicious battle for bloodshed. As Leon grappled with Blaze for his life, he and Kiva noticed a rather prominent landmark in the dimness of the night: the house Leon had mentioned before, and the smell of gas that surrounded it. He seemed to know what had to be done, and cocked his head towards Kiva almost in desperation. Kiva threw a lit match into the house, setting it ablaze. Leon tried to force Blaze into the inferno and keep him there, but he was so tightly locked in combat with him that he began to suffer burns as well. It only took a few minutes for Leon to realize that he was going to die alongside Blaze, who, despite his own screams, was doomed as well.

Kiva actually recoiled in horror upon realizing what she had done, but the battle raged on around her regardless of how she felt.

Victoria, Alan, and Roxanne were locked in combat with Dezna, Glimmer, and Valendria, the latter of whom were winning. Valendria was a beast of a woman, and the careers' morale seemed to have plummeted as they tried to fight her off. Within a few brutal minutes, Roxanne had been shot down by Glimmer's arrow, Val had sunk her axe into Alan's chest, and Dezna had pinned Victoria, slashing her throat. With the careers dead, Dezna braced himself for Glimmer and Val turning on him, but such an event never came. Instead, the two girls had disappeared back into the darkness as quickly as they had emerged from it.

After the rather traumatic events that had conspired last night, three major things had changed: the entire career pack was annihilated, Kiva was traumatized from watching two boys burn to death, and Hazel was nearly frozen in shock from seeing everything that transpired, and seeing Dezna's right arm splattered with Victoria's blood. Of the three, he was the only one that did not seem to be traumatized.

Hazel did not survive the night, reducing the surviving number of tributes down to 6. She had been trembling most of the evening from the horrific events she had witnessed, and sometime during the night as the District 6 pair slept, Hazel suffered from a seizure and did not survive. When the other two woke up the next morning, Kiva gave her a little memorial from some of the metal shards, and the two of them began to migrate towards the cornucopia. They knew that the end of the games was approaching, and so they spent the night in the golden horn, figuring that no arena hazards would come for them this time, and that the remaining tributes would have to come for them.

A night or so later, they saw odd lightning off in the distance. They knew that it was not ordinary the moment they heard a cannon fire, and saw Glimmer's face in the sky.

"Rainbow lightning," Dezna quipped, "that seems oddly ironic."

"Might explain the rubber-tipped staff they sponsored you," Kiva shrugged, "but it doesn't explain these strange discs."

"I guess we'll find out," Dezna pointed to another flash in the sky, "it's getting closer."

"that's because it's not normal," Kiva warned, "…and I think we just found District 3."  
Sure enough, the nefarious District 3 pair that had disappeared at the beginning of the games had resurfaced, and strapped to their backs and arms were shields and lightning machines. A battle broke out, which alarmed the District 6 pair, because they also knew that Val was still out there.

The first step was getting their shields to break, and so they used their weapons to deflect the electricity, forcing Clemont's shield to surge over. The surge protectors had been built only into the attacking part of the machine, and so the shield went down. Hikari took the forefront to make up for Clemont's lack of defense, but Kiva was too erratic and Dezna was much too swift. Her shield soon went down, and in her moment of desperation to defend herself, Kiva used the opening to strike down Clemont before he could fully recover. However, Hikari was not through with the fight. Turning her machine towards kiva and Dezna, she hit the former of the two with a powerful lightning strike that put her into a state of debilitating paralysis. She knew at once that she was going to die.  
Dezna managed to give his partner the honor of outliving Hikari, who he struck down moments later. Now he braced himself for the end. Sooner or later Valendria would arrive to finish him off.

However, instead of that happening, she helped Dezna climb atop the cornucopia after showing her face, because she knew a far worse threat that had been keeping her at bay the entire time.

Grey-skinned, red-eyed creatures with black hair and clothing that resembled the tributes appeared from a hazy mist. 7 of them were left, and they were modeled after Glimmer, Dezna, Kiva, Hazel, Leon, Daisy, and Valendria. These became the iconic and notorious "Night Witches" that tributes from later games would fear as some of the most dangerous mutts the Capitol ever unleashed upon the games. Still, Dezna and Valendria managed to take them all out, and this was finally when Dezna braced for Val turning on him and finishing. Instead, she requested that he kill her and end it. She began an elaborate tale about how she was a tool used solely for the games, while at heart, she was a rebel. Seeds sown by Rye and Sagittaria the year before had germinated, and thoughts of rebellion had taken root in some districts. As such, Dezna took down Valendria with a swift, fell stroke, ending the games. As such, Dezna Meraxa became the 4th victor from District 6, and the 45th victor of the Hunger Games.

Because of his previous state of being permanently addled by drugs, Dezna did not change much after the games, but he did learn a few cool things about tracker-jackers and other various substances. Despite these damages, he remained an incredible mechanic and a decently skilled pilot thanks to his testing of hovercrafts and other workings in District 6. His games on the other hand, went down as one of the notorious ones of history, later dubbed "the Golden Years", for the same reason the previous year was. Sometimes, games produced memorable arenas, tributes, and events—and this was one of them.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)


	46. The 46th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The Golden Age of Hunger Games continues, and like a few of the ones before it, the victor of this one has shown their face a few times in some of my other stories. I won't spoil too much though, but you can already see seeds of rebellion forming at this point. This is not a chapter that will be forgotten easily, and the victor leaves a crazy legacy that we will see parts of in at least two other chapters somewhere in the distant future. Just something to think about as the next few chapters crop up. It'll be a while (numerically) though, so don't hold your breath too soon._  
_That said... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 46th Annual Hunger Games**

The Hunger Games were an atrocious act put in place by a vengeful Capitol wishing to continue exerting its oppressive control over the districts. That was what was taught in districts like 12 and 11 anyways. While it was accepted in most cases that the reapings were truly random, a few definitely had their odds fixed to them.

Such was the story of District 8's Paige Alwin, and the 46th Annual Hunger games began the story of how she became a legend—and the first symbol of another rebellion in a time when true revolution was still decades away from happening.

The year proved to be an odd one, primarily because two tributes from the more outer districts—7 and 10—had both been volunteers. District 7's Keshet Elian was in it for the respect and the glory, while Lyndis Montoya, the girl from '10, later claimed that she had only volunteered 'out of sheer curiosity'.

Over in District 2, the Aranai sisters were not through volunteering either. The 3rd sister, Zakura, made it to the stage, and hoped to avenge her oldest sister, who had been killed last year at the hands of a District 5 girl.

However, it was District 8 that spawned the most controversy. 18-year-old Paige Alwin, a known rebel suspect, was reaped, and while many people knew that the odds were rigged, they knew that there was no volunteering for this one. Her partner, an unassuming 14-year-old with the slightly quaint name of Alice DeSiete, did not seem to have rigged odds; just bad luck and a disturbingly good memory. As an aspiring designer, he was also an exceptionally talented artist who was notorious for sketching the faces of older tributes in memory or as subtle reminders of the Capitol's brutality. His latest project was Valendria Tallarico, a powerful but controversial District 4 girl from the previous year's games that everyone thought was going to win, only for her to let the remaining tribute kill her to get her out of the miserable cycle that she would have been subjected to as a victor.

One look at Paige, and Alice knew he was dealing with someone that would not be forgotten so easily. He was open to her even if she was initially hostile to him. Nonetheless, the two befriended each other, and soon they and 22 other boys and girls were shipped off to the Capitol.

Already it was clear that Paige Alwin would be trouble. Her interview was nearly cut short because of a controversial line or two she said against the Capitol, but her partner Alice managed to at least partially recover in her behalf.

Apart from the intrigue surrounding the District 8 pair that year, the tributes of the 46th Hunger Games were all a bit crazy in one way or another. The careers were actually fairly common stock this time around, apart from District 2's Zakura Aranai—a fighter who sought to avenge her fallen sister Roxanne from the previous year. Other tributes, including those from the farther-out and poorer districts than '8, were crazy. Many people even considered Paige to be rather fierce and unapproachable, while little Alice quietly watched it all unfold from the sidelines.

The crazier tributes were from the outer districts though, such as the cold and collected "S. Isi Kwan" from District 12, and her similarly silent partner; the openly crazy and unpredictable Lyndis Montoya from District 10, and a gigantic girl from District 11 named Adrianna Meyrick that was simply nicknamed "Smash". The training room had proved why she had that nickname, as she had punched a hole through a wall just to prove that she could. Considering that the Capitol did not build their own things out of cheap materials, it had admittedly impressed even some of the Capitol staff themselves.

Lyndis also happened to weird out everyone this year by making it a personal goal to give each and every tribute, male or female, a big smooch on the lips. On this front, she actually managed to succeed, topping it off with Paige herself on the final day. Had it been a weaker tribute, someone might have actually picked a valid fight with her, but she proved to be quite the warrior on her own, and so most of the others left her alone for now. Her time would come in the arena. After all, Lyndis was not the only one that would be scoring high that year.

As such, there were a slew of high-scoring tributes this year: from the careers who all scored 10s and 11s, down to Keshet and Lyndis, both of whom were psychotic enough to score 12s. the rest of the outer districts scored between 8 and 11, while both of the District 8 kids scored 5s. It was at this moment that both Paige and Alice knew that the Capitol was rigging it against them, and that they were going to be fighting an uphill battle that might not even be winnable.

Whatever the case, the time for training had ended, and it was into the arena for all of the tributes. Paige remained alert and vigilant from the get-go, knowing that sooner or later the Capitol would try to kill her here and make it look like an accident. At her side was the unquestioningly loyal Alice, who refused to part ways with his partner so early on.

"Smash" ended up proving right away why she had that name, using hammers to crush a kid to death and then punching another kid's sternum in with her bare hands. Equally savage on this battlefield was the axe-wielding maniac known as Keshet Elian, who seemed to have formed a fierce rivalry with Lyndis, and had joined the career pack.

The forested arena made it clear to Paige and Alice that it would be trouble for them, and be boon to rural tributes such as those from Districts like 11 or 7. Keshet would be a much larger threat than Marcel or Gemma from District 1, or even Zakura and Myron from District 2.

This wound up proving true over the next couple of days. That wild District 7 girl ended up slaying Marcel and Myron, while Alice used a bow to drop Gemma in a lucky strike. The boy had precision—a trait perhaps explained by his incredible artistic talent back home.

The first attack on Paige came a day or two after the deaths of three of the careers. A large bear-like monster—probably twice the size of a normal one, came down upon them. They crossed paths with the unlucky pair from District 6, who were not as fortunate to escape. The mutt did not differentiate one tribute from another, and the poor boy was literally torn in half. The girl was not seen again, but a cannon went off later that night long after the bear had disappeared. Paige and Alice presumed that either Keshet or Zakura had gotten her. they had been weakened by a trap they claimed had been from District 12's Joss Colton, who, like many from his District, was a skilled saboteur and trapper.

There was a bit of downtime during the games, which Paige and Alice used to actually talk against the Capitol. Alice had nothing and no one to lose, since his parents had all but forgotten his existence years ago. Paige had had a lover back home: a woman named Hanna Faron, and much to her dismay, she knew that Hanna was a target of the Capitol and that she was doomed the moment Paige's name had been drawn. Amusingly, Alice was the one to console her, and somehow, he actually managed to do exactly that. Paige might have known that she was doomed from the start, but she knew that Alice was wild enough to continue her rebellious tendencies in her name. As such, she vowed to continue to fight and try to bring the younger boy home.

The days wore on, and soon there was a new threat that made District 8 worried: There had been no sign of Lyndis, Isikiro, or Smash since the beginning of the games, and no cannons for them either—meaning they were still alive. By the 10th day of the games, they were three of the 7 tributes left. The other two were the District 8 pair and the District 7 pair. The boy, Nesara, had joined up with Alice and Paige, expressing disapproval of his partner's extreme actions, and more importantly, he had managed to save them from the Capitol essentially materializing tracker-jackers around Paige out of nowhere. 10 days in and none of their traps could successfully kill her, and they knew that needed to change. All the wasps had managed to do was knock her and Alice out for a couple of days, thanks to Nesara's intervention. Unbeknownst to the tributes, but the Gamemakers had been ordered to kill Paige and make it look like an accident; and their lives were on the line. She was far too dangerous of a rebel to be allowed to live or win the games, and so she needed to be exterminated. Had Nesara not shown up, they might have succeeded, but he managed to help nurse Paige and Alice back to health.

There was mostly silence in the arena during this time, although deep in the woods three tributes were working on building something that even the Capitol took interest in. It did not appear to be anything that could get them out of the arena, and it was rather amusing to watch Lyndis and Isikiro chop down some of the mighty trees with their axes and then to watch Smash drag or lift the massive logs all on her own back to the camp.

When Paige woke back up on the 13th day, the three of them scouted the eastern edge of the arena, before gasping in awe at what they had stumbled across. Out in a large clearing was a well-constructed fortress, that even had a crude flag waving atop it, bearing only the numbers 10, 11, and 12.

"Clearly Isikiro's work," Nesara suggested.

"It makes sense," Alice agreed, "Smash and Lyndis probably helped carry the logs back here with Isi leading them. She's definitely more the leader type than those other two loonies."

However, as the afternoon wore on, they could not figure out how to get past the walls without being seen and probably ambushed. They knew that those three tributes were in there, but didn't know how to reach them.

Their hesitance caught up with them, and Nesara met his end at the pointy side of Lyndis' blades. However, before she could turn and attack Paige or Alice, there was a streaking noise heard around them. Glancing up, the three tributes saw fireballs raining down at them from the sky. It set parts of the fortress ablaze, causing the five tributes to race to safer grounds.

Oddly, upon reaching the cornucopia, Lyndis turned on her allies, who seemed to be trying to attack her first. Paige and Alice used this moment as a time to run, hoping that Lyndis and Keshet would meet up and kill each other before them.

Little did they know that the 'rain' of terror was not yet over.

Early the next and final morning of the games, the fireballs returned, chasing Alice and Paige back to the cornucopia, where Zakura also popped out and attacked them. Alice, being the smallest and weakest of the remaining tributes, hid behind a pile of old crates leftover from the pillaged cornucopia supplies, watching as Paige and Zakura duked it out. The two girls grappled for several intense minutes before Paige pulled them to the ground, allowing Zakura to remain on top of her.

What Zakura did not realize was that Paige knew she would meet her death here, and that she fully intended to take Zakura down with her. Moments later, Zakura was struck in the back with a large meteor that killed her instantly and left Paige mortally wounded. As she lay there dying, she screamed obscenities against the Capitol, verifying that she was, in fact, trying to spark a rebellion before her death. Alice went and put her out of her misery before the Capitol could, almost as if he was helping her spit in their faces. He knew what he had to do. He had seen the injustices of the Capitol and knew that he had to fight back, even if it took 50 years or more to realize his dreams. He had to find a way to defeat Lyndis and Keshet.

Luckily, the rivalry between the two girls seemed to have done well in keeping them busy. Lyndis' words didn't exactly sit well for him though.

"Winner gets to off the boy." She teased. They knew he was hiding there, and so all he could do was watch them, the bow still in his hands. He was not as silly and aloof as he had seemed, after all.

Shortly before Keshet could overpower Lyndis, Alice let an arrow fly, landing it right in Keshet's forehead, killing her instantly. This caused Lyndis to freeze, before she laughed and limped towards him, her hands in the air. To his surprise, she simply conceded defeat.

"You… don't even want to win?" Alice couldn't help but ask.

"Nah," Lyndis shrugged, "District 10 has had its 15 minutes of fame… and my curiosity is sated. I volunteered to find out what it was like, and frankly, the fact that you just offed my rival is good enough for me. You've earned it kid—strike me down."  
Alice didn't want to take another chance. He respected Lyndis, but could not wait around for her to change her mind, and knew that she would annihilate him in a "fair fight". Thus, he pulled his bowstring back and ended Lyndis' life with one of his last arrows, ending the games. Alice had become the 3rd victor from District 8, and the 46th victor of the Hunger Games.

Paige Alwin was not forgotten though—and instead, she had planted the seeds of rebellion, which would take decades to germinate. Alice made sure of this, especially after verifying Paige's fears-the Avox that served him after the games was none other than Hanna Faron herself. Seeing her helpless expression for a split-second made him vow to continue Paige's holy work. The effort was not fruitless, however. Alice's tact kept him out of the spotlight, and his methods of sowing discontent among District 8 were subtle enough to keep them mostly out of the limelight. Alice did get remembered for being the youngest victor to win the games thus far (an ironic foil to Paige, who had actually been one of the oldest tributes to go into the arena, having turned 19 shortly after the reaping, and only a couple of days before her own death), but his real notoriety would come years in the future after his legacy impacted the Hunger Games. Right now, however, that remained to be seen.

What he did not realize was that he had also left a legacy in District 11, and moreso, District 12. "Who was Paige Alwin" became something of a mantra in the latter of these two districts, although similar to Alice, it was kept on the down-low. The 46th Annual Hunger Games was the first of many games to produce victors with revolutionary thoughts—and while most of them remained silent, it was only a matter of time before they would remain silent no longer…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)


	47. The 47th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES**: _Not all subsequent chapters will be this long, but as this one is still part of the "Golden Age" (golden decade) of Hunger Games, it gets to be fairly long. No Chaff or Brutus yet, but they are both not far off from here. Once I get to some of the simpler chapters, my updating schedule my increase. I will hopefully not cut down on quality (because that's way more important than quantity), but I have so many chapters written that I look forward to posting them all when their times come._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 47th Annual Hunger Games**

After the events of the previous few years, the Capitol was rather proud of itself (a very easy task, considering its ego) given the performances seen in the last few years of Hunger Games. Of course, viewership increased each year with Panem's population considering that viewing of these games was mandatory, but some games got talked about more than others; and even years later, the 5th decade of the games was still popularly considered one of the best of its kind.

The 47th Annual Hunger Games nearly disrupted that trend at first. While it had the makings of a great game, considering the wild arena and the powerful tributes, there were times when it almost seemed to fall flat with a few lengthy delays and diversions when there were multiple tributes remaining. Whatever the case, it was clear that when Valour Drazen and Aurum Zianja reached the stage in District 1, that they were going to make sure to put on a show. It didn't take an expert to predict that their stylists and mentors would take them down the glamour route, considering their flowing hair (Valour's being brown, Aurum's being golden), slender, shapely forms, their dazzling smiles, and overall good looks.

Over at nearby District 2, Nolan Solaris and Alana Drogo were the 'victors' of the volunteer challenge that the career districts had yearly considering the pool of would-be Hunger Games volunteers that spawned from these districts. While not as glitzy and glamourous as the District 1 pair, these two were not too hard on the eyes, and both of them were built like tanks.

Glamour was something that found presence even in the chariot parade, as the glitzy, revealing outfits from District 1 took the center of attention and practically absorbed it in its entirety. Nolan and Alana seemed unfazed by this, although they did whisper a little to one another.

"We've definitely got competition." Nolan pointed out.

"We had competition getting to the stage," Alana quipped. "we'll be fine."

"here's to us then." Nolan took Alana's hand and raised it skyward.

"May the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock so that you don't feel anything when you die." Alana smirked, causing Nolan to do the same as the chariot parade continued.

In training the duo quickly proved that they were just as formidable as their district 1 counterparts, which was a relief, but also a bit unnerving. On one hand, they expected that the District 1 pair was at least somewhat competent considering they ousted their peers to be able to volunteer to be here at all; but on the other hand, Valour and Aurum seemed to not only be beautiful but also dangerously skilled at what they did. Lucky for them, there was an alliance between the two of them. Also joining the career pack this year were Nemo and Marina from District 4, who had also volunteered. Their comrades from District 3 were not in the same boat, and it seemed that this year the alliance would go unopposed.

A few formidable tributes rose up in the form of District 11's Ricardo Carter and Joanne Kader; as well as Farro and Jessica from District 9, but other than allying with their district partners, they didn't form any alliances with each other, and it was clear that all four of these tributes were out for themselves. The only other actual alliance was an unusual trio consisting of District 8's Lodan Tracey, District 3's Lever Mendez, and little Lynx Chantrea from District 12. Citizens of the latter district wondered if she would be the one to break the trend that had been seen lately: in the last 7 years of games, the female tributes from District 12 had all managed to escape the bloodbath. In fact, Aralynn, Ariana, Iris, Sophie, Kyla, Hazel, and Isikiro had all ranked at least 8th or higher. Perhaps their year to shine was approaching, although doubts set in as little 12-year-old Lynx was called to the stage. On the other hand, perhaps allying with the two 16-year-old boys from District 3 and District 8 might give her a chance.

In the training center, however, she proved that she was surprisingly deft with ropes of any kind, excelling to the point where she used a collection of ropes and nets to crawl up into the rafters, and swipe weapons from tributes including the careers, multiple times during the week. A prankster at heart, her friends Lever and Lodan did not think that she had it in her to become a killer, but she proved that she had uses, and so the three of them settled on an alliance when all was said and done.

Scores this year actually made history. while Nolan and Alana both scored 11s, Valour and Aurum made history that day by being the first pair from any district where both tributes scored perfect 12s. As fairly egotistic individuals themselves, they were pretty happy and proud of this achievement, and they had rights to be. They had not only outperformed every other tribute and district, but they had also made history as being the first district to do what they had done.

Nemo and Marina scored a 9 and 10 respectively, and District 9's Jessica and Farrow surprised many of the others by earning the same respective scores. Lever, Lodan, and even little Lynx all scored 8s, which meant that even the seemingly harmless little girl may have had some fight in her.

Of course, as was the case every year, time would tell. Scores were hardly more than numbers and indicators on who the Capitol should invest money and resources on, while the true test lay within the arena itself, where nearly two dozen tributes would breathe their last.

Sure enough, within a few fierce minutes of the gong going off to signal the start of the games, 8 tributes lad dead, many killed at the hands of the careers. To the surprise of many, little Lynx managed to escape with her life, joining her friends Lever and Lodan as the little trio disappeared into the wilderness. The careers took over the cornucopia of course, and it was after the fighting had subsided that they were finally able to take in just what kind of environment they had been tossed into.

This was District 4's territory: glistening sands bathed in golden sunlight, an aroma of saltwater flowing through the air. Palm trees filled the blue and gold scenery with green and brown, and the sound of waves against a shore filled the tributes' ears. The picturesque arena was definitely memorable, and had an eerie appeal even when the bloodstained sand around the cornucopia was taken into account.

The careers analyzed the supplies in the downtime, realizing that while there was a surplus of items like tridents, spears, and nets, that the supplies were fairly standard fare this year, with plenty of food and such to subsist on for a while.

While they remained a tightly knit pack who hung around the cornucopia, the other tributes were on the move. Farro and Jessica were not sticking together, although both of them were hunting down other tributes to remove from the games. Valour and Aurum did not let this deter them, and so instead, they led the career pack around the arena, getting an idea of what it was like.

It appeared to be divided into 14 islands. There was shallow water dividing the cornucopia clearing from two larger islands that formed semicircles around the cornucopia. Outside of this small ring were a dozen other islands, connected with durable wooden bridges over potentially deep and dangerous waters. Other times, it was worth swimming around in to beat the heat, and since the career tributes from '1 and '2 were trained to swim just as well as in other fields, they were able to join the District 4 pair in the water a few times.

Farro nearly ambushed the group, but surprisingly, the District 9 boy was careful and elusive enough that even as he threatened the careers, he seemed to never be there when their swings or shots attempted to connect with his face or body.

"we're not always fodder," he taunted, watch your back, '1."

As tough as Nolan and Alana were, they knew that Farro was right in his evaluation of the largest threat as he disappeared back into the palm forest. The pair from District 1 were the most dangerous and powerful tributes in the arena, which meant their scores had not just been for show.

The next couple days passed with minimal event. Ricardo from District 11 lost his life to Jessica, but she was then cut down by Ricardo's partner, Joann, who wielded a pair of katars to great effect. There was no sign of Lever, Lodan, or Lynx, but they were only 4 days into the games.

The 5th day was another day of action, but it was also the harbinger of the slow times that would later follow. The career pack ran into Edison and Cara, a boy and girl from District 5 and District 6 respectively, who, in following examples from a nefarious set of District 3 tributes from 2 years ago, had gone and built a simplistic lightning machine. It kept the careers on edge, but only briefly. Suddenly, Edison fell to the ground with a dark in the back of his neck, causing the careers to freeze.

"It's Farro again!" Alana shouted, only for Cara to cheap-shot Marina in the brief pause. She fell, twitching and somewhat paralyzed, but the other five careers raced to her defense as Valour put an arrow through Cara's chest. Farro, however, had escaped.

"Bloody coward…" Aurum swore.

"Coward or not," Nemo pointed out, kneeling next to his partner to see if she could he helped, "what he's doing is working. In the meantime, not to go all District 4 on everyone here…" he paused, "but if we could return to camp so we don't lose an ally, that'd be great."

There was a mumble of consensus from the careers, who returned to the cornucopia. Immediately they knew something was wrong.

"Someone's dug up the mines again," Nolan warned, "either it's that kid from '3, or that boy from '5 has them hoarded somewhere. Stay on your guard—they might have put them around camp."  
To their relief, there was no sign of any mines in the camp itself, but that also meant that unless the piles of dirt and sand around the pedestals were superfluous, that one of the tributes had the mines with them.

Another cannon fired on day 5, and the face of Shelia Daniels from District 8 appeared in the sky. The next four days were fairly uneventful on all parts apart from some stormy weather that kept a trio of tributes busy. While the careers sheltered themselves in the cornucopia, Lever, Lodan, and Lynx were working hard to fight the storm.

Lodan's woodworking and training with axes in the training center had helped them obtain ample amounts of wood. A few sponsor gifts had given them a few other materials, but most of the vessel they had constructed had been from their own ingenuity. Lever had helped make sure that things worked the way they were supposed to, and he and Lodan both made sure that the boat was easy to control. Lynx, who had been sponsored a great deal of rope, helped skillfully tie everything together to keep it in place. The youngster had a rather impressive talent with knots and ropes, and so as the three of them battled the storm, she was the one manning the sails and pulling the ropes.

The real prize and bragging rights this little trio had though, was the ship's cannon. A sturdy, wooden thing; the mines that Lever had dug up were used as projectiles, and more than once they had fought off a great sea monster because of it. These were the rumbling explosions that the careers heard on day 7 and day 8. That night, Nemo and Marina volunteered to scope out the place tomorrow.

The rumblings seemed to grow closer as day 9 opened up, and while the rain was reduced to a light drizzle, the careers stayed put one more afternoon due to the lightning. Later that evening, a cannon (belonging to the Gamemakers this time) fired, shortly followed by another similar one. In the sky an hour or two later, were Farro and Joann, who had been dueling one another before they had been ambushed by Lever, Lodan, and Lynx, who used their ship's cannon to take them both out. A 3rd cannon that evening was a sign that Nemo wasn't coming back.

8 tributes still lived by day 10: the five surviving careers, and the three "sailors". Marina's wounds had healed, and while the careers had gone on another search for the three other tributes, all they were able to find were hazards and a few mutts. To make matters worse, Lever actually managed to hit Marina with one of their bombs, removing her from the games that afternoon.

The games got slow again as day 11, day 12, and day 13 all passed with little event other than the careers spending their nights on different islands each time. Day 14 was the beginning of the end, as the Capitol made an announcement.

"Attention, Tributes. There will be a final feast at the cornucopia this afternoon. Those who show up on time might gain an edge over their brethren. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

A powerful storm destroyed the little trio's boat, but they were undeterred as they made their way to the cornucopia to hopefully beat the careers. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case this time: the Gamemakers made obstacles appear or disappear to help time their arrivals.

This was when the combat broke out, and it was short-lived. Lever and Lodan were both taken down with two deft swings from Aurum, while little Lynx cowered in fear and essentially surrendered. She wasn't a fighter and she knew it.

Alana was the one whose heart was softened. She approached the youngster, inviting her over in a bout of reassurance. It hurt her to do it, but after putting her arms around the little District 12 girl and cradling her a moment, she stuck a knife to her throat, killing her swiftly and cleanly.

"I'm sorry, Lynx Chantrea…" she whispered, laying the little girl down. Being trained as a would-be Peacekeeper, Alana always tried to take the least contentious route out of a problem, but was not afraid to kill when necessary.

At this point, it was a career ending. District 1 and District 2 turned on each other, resulting in two duels that left Valour and Aurum as the 'victors'. The two of them decided to settle it between one another: whoever was knocked down from injuries first, lost. Valoura tried to keep Aurum at a distance, but Aurum was too swift and got right up in his face with her melee attacks. Both of them seemed evenly matched for a while until Aurum managed to get a good strike on Valour, knocking him down. He knew he was beat, and Aurum knew it too. As such, she stabbed him swiftly, ending his life and ending the games with a final cannon. Aurum was the 8th victor from District 1, and the 47th victor of the games.

The 47th Hunger Games were unusual because of the "Two bloodbaths": the one at the beginning, and the one at the end where Lever, Lodan, Lynx, Alana, Nolan, and Valour had all died, leaving only Aurum in return. The Gamemakers learned lessons, but they also gained a cute and beautiful victor who became something of a poster child for Capitol fashion and modeling for a while, a hobby and pastime she enjoyed as well. Aurum was an everyday career, who had trained like one, fought like one, and won like one. Her kill count, perfect score, and good looks would be some of the main things that she was remembered by, and even if the games had humbled her a bit, she still couldn't help but be a little proud of herself all things considering—and she had all rights to be: she had earned it.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)


	48. The 48th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _and now we approach the close of the "Golden Age" of Hunger Games. Some of the characters in this chapter, including the victor, have been mentioned or even cameoed in some of my other fics, and as such, those who have read them might see a few familiar faces here. Not all tributes are fodder, and not all dead tributes ever get fully forgotten. Just something to think about._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 48th Annual Hunger Games**

While the previous year's games had still technically been a hit, and the victor remained a popular individual, the games in question had been fairly slow compared to some of the others. Intending to rectify this, the Gamemakers got to work that year to put some serious consideration into what they had planned for the 48th Annual Hunger Games. If they had to give a one-word answer for what the theme of this year was, all of them knew what it would be: Fear.

The Aranai Sisters from District 2 had been on some hard luck lately. The eldest sister, Roxanne, had been a tribute 3 years prior, and had been followed by Zakura, the 3rd eldest, the year after. Ikiza, the 2nd eldest sister, was beaten out by Alana the year prior and was now too old to volunteer, leaving only the 4th and youngest sister, Layla, to try and bring honor and glory to their family name.

She managed to succeed in this department, and was joined by Ryker Szasz, son of Luca Szasz and grandson of victor Naisha Szasz from 44 years ago. Both of them were only 15, a rarity among District 2 volunteers, but the small tribute pair was not to be underestimated. Coming from District 2 meant they had gone through the district's rigorous "reaping", which meant they had outrun and outmuscled dozens of other boys and girls in an attempt to get the bid.

Sheen Hendrick and Jewell Shar from District 1 had some pretty large shoes to fill after the two perfect-scoring tributes that had come the year before. With Aurum as the victor, both Jewell and Sheen figured they might be able to join District 2 in scoring two successful victories in a row. Ryker and Layla allied with them not in some covert attempt to take them down, but more because the traditional career alliance was extremely effective, and because despite their own ages they still knew they had a chance. Dayta Diamond and Buzz Coronado from District 3 joined the career pack as they often did, providing some brains for the operation to augment the brawn the District 1 and District 2 kids usually brought.

While District 1 might have joined Ryker and Layla on principle, District 3 joined them usually based on strength or skill. While they were some of the youngest careers since Leto Irizari 13 years ago, they were both very adept at what they did, and even the cunning District 3 had recognized it. However, underneath their cool and confident displays, both Ryker and Layla, particularly Layla, were anxious and a little afraid. They trusted their career allies, even the pair from District 3, but some of the other tributes were rubbing them the wrong way already.

The tributes from District 11: Kamau Tesat and Kana Loreziah, were covered in markings that looked like war paint or tattoos, and the way they were physically built was also enough to cause alarm. Their proficiency with axes, clubs, and other heavy weapons meant they would certainly be a danger as well. But, despite their strengths, they were not even the ones Layla and Ryker thought were the scariest. Hailing from District 12, the brown-skinned Fenris Murdock and the black-skinned Zefira Saratoga were like smaller, less predictable versions of their District 11 allies. Cool and confident, they seemed more savage than the usual lot, probably due to their unkempt appearances (especially by Capitol Standards), all the markings on their bodies, and that all four of them were barefoot.

What really terrified the careers though was that all of them scored dangerously high. Fenris, who scored the "lowest" of the four, still took home a 9. Kana took a 10, little Zefira scored an 11, and the gigantic boy Kamau scored a perfect 12 doing goodness-knows-what in there. The careers all scored between 9s and 11s except little Layla, who also scored a 12, but of the two, it was clear that Kamau was much more confident in his victory.

Fear was something the Gamemakers planned to prey on this year, and as the tributes were launched from the underground catacombs back up to the surface in the cornucopia semicircle, they realized that this was going to be a hostile arena at once. The dark green wetlands promised that poisons and disease would likely be common ailments this year, and some tributes trembled to think of what else might lurk in the growth or in the water.

The good news, at least for the careers and stronger tributes, was that weapons were ample at the cornucopia this year, as were certain medical supplies, but food was scarce and that presented a problem. It meant that sustenance would have to be obtained from the wilderness—which may have also explained the abundance of iodine as well.

While the career pack scored some of the 9 kills in the bloodbath, most of theirs were clean and simple; standard fare. Zefira was the one to shed the first blood by snatching up the nearest metal object and using it to decapitate the boy from District 10 from a distance. Kamau managed to terrify people mboth in the games and those watching, after he killed a tribute by literally punching him hard enough in the chest to collapse his sternum. This was a vicious trick that had been used by one of Kamau's predecessors from District 11, which was part of why Adrianna Meyrick from two years ago had been nicknamed "Smash".

Navigating this treacherous wetland was an ordeal all on its own. While heavier tributes like Kana and Kamau just trudged on through it without a care in the world, lighter and more dexterous tributes such as Layla, Fenris, and Zefira managed to stay fairly graceful and walk over the mushy soil with ease. Dayta was able to identify a lot of the growth, some of which was in fact poisonous. One misstep and it would be over for a careless tribute. The water, while gross in appearance, seemed otherwise okay to trudge through, and Layla's luck ended here as she fell in, becoming coated with grime and muck.

"I really hope this isn't poisonous…" she groaned.

"It's not," Dayta leaned over and poked Layla to get a sample of the substance on her finger. "gross, sure, but not poisonous."  
"It seems our options are either safety or dry land though," Ryker pointed out, "I don't think we have any choice besides one or the other."

They decided to risk the dry land, finding patches of it not covered with poisonous flora. It was still dangerous because other tributes also likely used it for the same logical reason, and while some folks like the District 7 pair or the District 11 duo might not exactly be stealth experts, District 8's Scarlet Morrowson, as well as both kids from District 12, would be formidable spies.

Dayta managed to temporarily take leadership of the career pack, but only to lead them to an actual watering hole rather than stagnant swamps. They did use some of their iodine to make the water more suitable for consumption, but otherwise they simply made camp and decided to wait it out. In her boredom, Layla jokingly shouted out for her mentor to sponsor her a pair of dice. Nothing happened for several minutes, but then perhaps comically, mentors Niles and Leto sent her a sponsor gift which was little more than a pair of dice and a funny note:  
_"Let it not be said that we lack a sense of humor, kid."—L_

The first night was eventless, and the 2nd night like unto it. Only one other tribute had died that day, and so silence crept back over the swamp for the rest of the evening.

Morning 5 was when the next bit of action occurred. The careers, not wanting a repeat of the lack of action from last year, decided to have Buzz rig up their camp but otherwise leave it looking fairly inviting, and then move on. They did exactly that, only to find a peculiar shelter during the afternoon's travels. It was nothing to write home about, but it was inviting, which, to the career pack, almost guaranteed that it was rigged. They went into hiding nearby, to see if anyone returned to it with the hopes that they could ambush said individual.

Layla felt like they were being watched, and she swore multiple times that she saw Scarlet in some of the nearby bushes, but either Scarlet didn't see them or it wasn't Scarlet at all, and she didn't want to give away their position especially when people like Zefira were still on the loose.

In a way, her patience paid off, even if it also partially frightened her. later that evening, the pair from District 5 appeared, as well as Scarlet. The careers watched from their hiding place, only to see weapons thrown that could only really be described as electric grenades. The real scary one, however, was Zefira herself, who threw a powerful smoke grenade the obscured the area. The careers bunkered down, weapons drawn, but all that happened was two cannons fired, and after the smoke cleared, hovercraft were coming in to remove the corpses of the two district 5 tributes. Half the tributes were now dead; and half of them remained.

Day 6 saw the death of the District 7 boy after Zefira lobbed another grenade at him, this time an explosive. The careers continued their hunt, trying to catch her and her elusive alliance, so that they could square off in a final duel. Ideally confronting them sooner rather than later would be beneficial to the careers, because while they were all alive, that would put the odds at 6 against 4, which meant that Ryker and his little group would have a fighting chance against these rebellious saboteurs.

Layla may not have ever been the most fearless of tributes, but she was still pretty stouthearted when she had gone into the games. 7 days in, and she wasn't so sure about that. She was fairly certain as she took the watch shift that night that Scarlet and Zefira were still nearby, but she couldn't ever actually pinpoint them. She wondered if they knew the location of the careers but didn't engage due to lack of numbers. Where were Fenris, Kana, and Kamau then?

Perhaps it wouldn't matter. Layla shrieked as something entered her line of sight, and she knifed it without question. It turned out to be Scarlet, and moments after she was killed, Zefira appeared. She contemplated an attack, but in that moment of hesitation, Layla froze, and Zefira took off after she noticed the other careers stirring. 6 on 1 would not end well for her.

"She's watching us…" Layla stammered, "Zefira knows where we are and she just ran off."  
"Well why'd you let her go?" Jewell tilted her head.

"I didn't mean to!" Layla argued, "Scarlet popped up and after I killed her I kind of froze in reaction from seeing Zefira show up so suddenly."

With Scarlet's death, that only left the two alliances: Districts 1, 2, and 3, against Districts 11 and 12.

Unfortunately, the fortune of the career pack began to swiftly go south. While days 8 and 9 passed mostly uneventfully, day 10 saw the death of Sheen after getting speared by Zefira. Jewell did not live to see the evening, and her face appeared in the sky as well after Fenris showed up with Zefira and picked her off after a swift and fierce melee fight while she was keeping watch. The cannon fired, and less than half an hour later her face appeared right after Sheen's.

Buzz spent most of the following day trying to rig up the camp, with the remaining three careers watching intently to make sure that they weren't ambushed—but they still were. Fenris sniped Buzz, who was working with one of Zefira's old electric grenades, and so they scattered to attack the District 12 boy as he attempted to flee. He was joined by Kana, who warded off the remaining three careers and disappeared.

After another day of hunting in vain, the careers knew they had to act. All they had found so far were these weird gator-mutts which were terrifying in their own aspect, given that the noises they made sounded like human screams—almost as if jabberjays had copied the noises and somehow given that noise to these mutts. Dayta and Buzz were certain that this was no coincidence, and that these creatures were engineered using traits from the jabberjays as well.

It was later in the evening when this was really brought to light. Fenris attempted to attack Ryker again, only to be blocked by Dayta. Luckily for him, he had backup, and Kana managed to get right up there and directly snap the girl's neck. Ryker, as one of the two remaining careers, gave pursuit. Layla lobbed a knife at Fenris, killing the boy, but the pursuit of Kana lasted through the night and into the 13th morning. For some reason, Kana stopped and turned to face Ryker, and was about to draw her weapons when Ryker speared her, and then seized his other spear and impaled her again. She staggered back, but even her death was staged at this exact moment. Thundering footsteps answered the District 2 pair's question as to where Kamau was—and here he was, barreling towards them.

Layla scrambled out of the way, although quickly realized that Kamau was not after her. She watched in horror as he pinned Ryker down, and wrenched his spear away, throwing it aside. He was unarmed, but his fists were mighty enough weapons on their own. Layla turned away right as Kamau raised his fist to come bring it down on his adversary, and a moment later, a sickening crunch was heard, followed by a cannon.

Armed with nothing but a poison dart gun, Layla fired rapid shots at the massive boy, who was now charging towards her. He was resilient, and managed to shrug off some of the poison that was starting to crawl through his body, but to Layla's relief, he began to slow down while Layla's speed remained the same, and so miraculously, her hit-and-run tactic worked. As his cannon went off, that left Layla with a brief touch of reassurance, which was followed immediately by a wave of dread. Kamau's death meant that only Zefira stood between her and victory, and the little mute girl was going to be a dangerous fight: She knew all of Layla's fears, and had spent the last two weeks preying on them.

Day 14, as well as the remainder of Day 13, had been spent by Layla trying to hunt this elusive saboteur down. The screams were not helping, but Layla managed to take down the gators when she encountered them, or fled to safety.

Maybe there were actual jabberjays, because there were voices from the trees, sounding almost like they belonged to Fenris, chanting:

"_We have you surrounded, Layla Aranai…"_

Layla struggled to keep herself composed, but hearing it again and again demoralized her bit by bit.  
_"We have you surrounded, Layla Aranai…"_

"NO!" she roared, and suddenly, she saw a grenade lobbed from the trees right at her. Surprisingly, she caught it and threw it back hardly a split-second later. It blasted Zefira out of the tree, where the girl's wild, manic grin made her even scarier. Seizing one of her own knives, Zefira plunged it right into Layla's right hand, effectively pinning her to the ground for a moment. However, with her free hand, Layla snatched a blade and retaliated by stabbing Zefira squarely in the forehead, and ending her life. After a terrifying struggle over the period of two weeks, Layla Aranai had just become the 9th victor from District 2, and the 48th victor of the Hunger Games.

Once a formidable and courageous little fighter, the games had destroyed and demoralized Layla to the point where she was essentially a coward with a grim outlook on just about everything. Shaken and traumatized, she all but cut herself off from the rest of the world after winning, where she bided her time in silence; trying to recover from the trauma her games delivered her. After all—not even the careers were immune to being traumatized, and Layla was just another name on the list.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)


	49. The 49th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And so ends the "Golden Age" of the Hunger Games... at least in this story. There is actually another decade that qualifies for similar reasons, but it's a ways off, so no worries. Obviously we know who wins next year's Hunger Games, so there's also that, but I had that chapte rwritten a while ago in advance. As mentioned on my profile, a lot of the immediately upcoming chapters are yet to be written, so I can't promise a faster update schedule just yet, but I will keep you wonderful people posted as my progress continues. In the meantime, I lvoe your feedback, for better or for worse, so reviews are welcomed and encouraged. That said... Game 49. Here we go!_  
_Happy reading!_

* * *

**The 49th Annual Hunger Games**

While sometimes a game had different themes depending on the year, a lot of it was dependent on not just the arena, but also who the head Gamemaker was, and who was under him or her. The tributes also mattered a lot. The previous year's games wouldn't have been considered to have a theme if it weren't for the daunting tributes that had shown their faces from the shadows of District 11 and District 12. The games a few years back wouldn't have had night as a theme if it weren't for how the tributes navigated during that time.

Whatever the case, the 49th Annual Hunger Games didn't appear to have a particular theme with the arena, although there were tributes that would certainly keep it exciting. The careers always made sure that things stayed intriguing, and lately, districts like 11, 3, and 12 had also done their part in adding a level of pizzazz to the games. From the careers this year, there were no more DiFronzos, no more Aranais, and no one related to past tributes or victors this time around. A few eyes were on District 3, which produced Kuro Sinnai and Chip Sangster. While neither one looked very physically strong, both of them appeared to be cunning little gadgeteers that their district was notorious for. Across the country in District 1, the pool of volunteers was still as lively as it had always been, and from the crowds, Risha Shenhua emerged. Less than a minute later, her partner-to-be, Bjorn Tulak, reached the stage. A beast of a man, everyone knew at once that he was going to score high. His darker, slenderer partner would specialize more in speed and stealth, and as careers, it was practically expected for them to score high at this point in time.

Over in District 2, Hector Lombardi and Lucina Dragmire were another solid reminder as to why their district produced so many victors. While neither one were at the same ends of the physical spectrum that their District 1 counterparts were, neither one of them had any trouble proving themselves in the training center over the next few days.

Determined not to let their record of high-performance tributes falter, District 11 and District 12 once again produced pairs of promising individuals. Serving as a reminder of their terrifying predecessors, District 11's Emryk Savage and Lelani Takamatzu were smaller than most of the working farmers that the district usually produced, but their bodies were marked in elaborate, almost unnerving ways that made their stylists that year present them to the Capitol wearing almost nothing. Normally this was seen as a bad idea (as a District 12 stylist pair could attest to, given the sorry results of one year's mistakes), but with how intricate the markings on their bodies were, they didn't really need much adorning.

District 12 managed to one-up this using their tributes Zadok Sakai and Liberty Mežkiel. While they too had similar tribal-style markings like their District 11 kin, they were also pockmarked with some rather unsightly scars whose origins neither tribute was willing to disclose. Their already brown skin was made even darker with Capitol makeup, giving it a blackish grey coloring. This color scheme accentuated the scars and markings, and their stylists even managed to give it a fluorescent effect that made the intricate and asymmetrical markings glow in that chariot parade that evening. Incidentally, neither tribute was fazed by their lack of clothing for this part. With glowing eyes and makings thanks to the effects of their stylists, they singlehandedly stole the show.

Of course, for egotistical tributes like the careers, this just would not do, and so they made themselves a few new enemies that day. Zadok and Liberty both proved that they were not just all show and no go, however. Swords seemed to be their specialty—beyond the usual knives and daggers their subversive natures usually offered, anyways. They both allied themselves with Emryk and Lelani from District 11, and when training scores came around, they managed to impress everyone. Lelani scored a 10, Emryk and Zadok both scored 11s, and Liberty scored a 12.

Not to be outdone, both Hector and Risha scored 12s, while Lucina and Bjorn scored 11s. Chip and Kuro from District 3 both scored 8s, and didn't take sides between Districts 1 and 2 and Districts 11 and 12. Whether or not this would cost them their lives remained to be seen. Despite their scores, there were others clamouring to become their allies. Their geeky gadgetry and uncanny talent of being able to weaponize just about anything they could get their hands on made them desirable partners. Despite this, they did not ally themselves with anyone but each other, which also earned them some fierce rivals. What this led to in the arena remained to be seen.

As the tributes rose from their podiums, they got a glimpse of their surroundings: overgrown cliffs and mountains, with vines and flora overtaking what appeared to be ancient ruins. The air was humid and the sun was shining, although most of the tributes wondered how long that would last.

9 tributes died in the cornucopia that morning, but districts 4-10 were the only ones that suffered casualties. Kuro and Chip snatched up a great deal of useful supplies, and it was clear from the distribution of cornucopia items that it was meant to be a creative lunge for survival. Almost immediately, both District 3 tributes disappeared under the radar, so to speak, much like some of their predecessors. They found a nice, undisturbed part of the arena in the remote reaches, and then immediately got to work using their supplies to make weapons.

In the meantime, the careers trekked around the arena, hunting for food and water, and keeping a close eye out for the enemy alliance that consisted of Zadok, Liberty, Lelani, and Emryk. They had no such luck for at least four days, where they (and presumably their enemies from '12 and '11) killed a combined total of 3 more tributes. Despite their combat prowess, Zadok and Liberty spent most of their time building elaborate traps throughout the arena, leaving danger in their wake.

Day 5 saw heavy rains pour down upon the place, flooding the lower parts of the arena for a time. The ruined tower that Chip and Kuro had holed themselves up in managed to survive the onslaught, and while no tributes were killed from this flood, it did knock out almost everyone's camps, as well as a lot of traps made by the District 11 and 12 pairs.

In the wake of the rains was a heavy mist that settled in, limiting visibility greatly. This led to nearly no action on day 6 or day 7, and only one tribute died on day 8, leaving 11 still alive. Food was growing scarce, and it seemed that the Gamemakers were not about to relent with the haze. Naturally, the first ones to take initiative were the careers. They trekked cautiously through the foggy ruins and wilderness until they came across what could only be described as a massive temple.

"Stay wary," Lucina warned the others, "The grass here looks disturbed. Someone—or something—has been here."

It didn't take them long to find out at least part of what had been here. Corpses of large different-colored tiger mutts littered small areas of the temple, their remains still coursing with fire or electricity, depending on the color.

"This seems to be a great vantage point, as long as we can keep the tigers at bay." Bjorn suggested.

"It seems pretty easy to scout out," Risha nodded in agreement, "you can see a lot of the arena from here I'm sure… well, when the fog finally leaves."

"There doesn't seem to be any more of those mutts here right now…" Hector mused, "although that still begs the question of what killed them. There's no sign of District 12 or any of them…"  
"This place is pretty vast." Risha reasoned, "maybe we haven't explored it all?"  
"We've got a pretty good grasp of the size of this thing by now I'd assume," Hector reminded her, "although when we're all the way up here it's hard to see very far into the fog."

The careers agreed to make camp here, and the evening was quiet. Only one other tribute (a District 10 girl) was unaccounted for. The District 11/District 12 alliance was somewhere out there, and the District 3 pair were out in some remote corner of the arena out of sight. They didn't even know the temple had existed up to this point—but they were about to find out.

Morning 9 introduced one of the wildest upsets and plot twists the Hunger Games had seen in a while. While the careers slept, Emryk, Lelani, Zadok and Liberty had been deep within the temple at its base, planting explosive devices (some sponsored, most homemade) in vital support points with the full intent of bringing the entire structure down. They began setting off some of the bombs, which woke the careers from their slumber, high above them at the top of the temple. Right as they got their feet however, the massive stone structure collapsed in on itself, crushing all four of them in one fell swoop. The rumbling was heard all through the arena, and the four cannon shots for Bjorn, Risha, Hector and Lucina fired only moments after the noise had subsided. The 11 tributes had just been cut down to 7, and the career pack was gone. Perhaps it was coincidence, or maybe it was planned, but whatever the case, it was later that afternoon that the thick fog surrounding the arena had vanished, leaving the view rather clear once again. This of course, meant it was time to hunt.

Shortly after killing the District 10 girl the next day, Zadok and Liberty decided to part ways with Emryk and Lelani, agreeing to hunt the District 3 pair down but also warning each other that if they crossed paths again that they would initiate combat.

The District 11 pair were the first to come across Kuro and Chip at their camp, which was unsurprisingly surrounded by rigged-up traps, including some of the mines from the cornucopia. Kuro was armed with a brilliantly-crafted homemade shield that was actually surprisingly useful for blocking projectiles and attacks, while Chip was armed with a small cylinder on his right arm that was essentially a "rock-cannon". Chip managed to effectively wound Emryk, and Kuro finished him off. Unfortunately, before she could stop Lelani, she drove her sword through Kuro's gut. She staged back, forcing herself to pivot one last time as she bashed the larger girl with her shield. Chip used this brief moment of stunning to take down Lelani and bring himself one step closer to winning the games.

However, there was still District 12 to worry about, and it seemed that they got closer and closer to a victory each year. Eyes were on Zadok and Liberty this year for their power and cunning, considering that they had essentially built bombs from scratch before getting sponsor gifts. Chip knew that he wouldn't last 18 seconds against the two of them, and so had to devise a plan to split them up.

Day 14 marked the time when he finally found their camp. They were enjoying a meal by their fire, unafraid of Chip despite seeing Kuro, Lelani, and Emryk in the sky an evening ago. They figured it was just traps, and laughed about how they would be more careful than that.  
This proved to be true, but Chip's stealth was what earned him the prize that evening. He took Zadok's sword as well as Liberty's, and when they noticed, they accused each other of trying to secretly backstab one another as Chip remained out of sight. They began coming to blows, much to Chip's amusement. However, his reign of triumph was brief. After misstepping backwards on a rock, the noise caught Zadok's attention, and even Liberty stopped to see who or what it was. Upon noticing Chip with both of their swords, they charged him, knowing the boy couldn't really life weapons that large and be very effective. They disarmed him quickly, although overlooked one trick that he still had up his sleeve: the rock cannon. He launched projectiles at them both repeatedly, before taking a pair of knives and plunging them fatally into both of the tributes almost simultaneously. His heart still racing, Chip shrugged off his equipment and weaponry as the reality of his situation sunk in. Chip had just become the 5th victor from District 3, and the 49th victor of the Hunger Games.

He claimed that it wasn't necessarily skill, and while he boasted a somewhat confident and intellectual exterior, in truth he was traumatized and afraid just like all the rest of them. He had seen and experienced terrifying scenes and moments, and would never wish to repeat such things in his life. He did continue inventing and building things as a hobby—perhaps as a contrast to the subversive and destructive natures of District 11 and District 12. He respected his enemies, but that didn't mean they hadn't scared him. All in all, it was a rite of passage that he had completed—but would never, ever want to have to go through again.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)


	50. The 50th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ I'm sure that this has been a hotly-anticipated chapter, and so I hope I was able to do it justice. Haymitch's Hunger Games marks the halfway point for The Victors' Chronicles, and now that some of the particularly lengthy chapters are behind us, I might be able to update twice a week. If I do, it will likely continue to be on Mondays and then another chapter near the end of the week, depending on how much progress I've made. That said, here's the infamous 2nd Quarter Quell._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 50th Annual Hunger Games**

While the decade that would later be known as "The Golden Age" had ended, the Capitol was not about to just settle for less due to arenas and tributes not living up to the greatness that Panem had witness over the last 10 years. Instead, they'd make sure that this year's games were just as memorable as all of those that had come before.

Right around the time that Laurel's victory in the unique Quarter Quell 2½ decades ago had started to fade, the Capitol struck back with another one 25 years later, just as they promised they would. This 2nd Quarter Quell altered the rules by reminding the districts that for each Capitol citizen killed, two rebels died. As such, there would be twice the usual number of tributes this year, bringing the roster up to 48. Thus, two girls and two boys from every district were taken to the Capitol, many of which had a grim feeling that they would never return. More tributes meant slimmer odds—and more career tributes to worry about.  
However, even District 12 was not about to throw in the towel just yet. They had won the last of these games with the rule twists, and so perhaps they could win it again. Time would tell as the 50th Annual Hunger Games prepared to unfold.

Naturally, events like the chariot parades, private training sessions, and tribute interviews took much longer than usual given the increased number of tributes, but it brought in more attention than ever, and the betting industry went wild. With half a century of games under their belts and above-average performing tributes at their disposal this year, the Gamemakers intended to make sure that these games were the most memorable ones Panem had seen.

Foremost, the arena itself was absolutely breathtaking. There were a few tributes killed in the opening minutes simply trying to take it all in. Situated in a lush and sweet-smelling green meadow that stretched for what seemed like, the cornucopia clearing had the horn situated in the center of the semicircle, and it was overflowing with weapons, tools, supplies, and ample amounts of food. Some of the tributes took this as a warning, and escaped into the beautiful woods and away from the picturesque, snow-capped mountain that loomed overhead.

Similar to the last quell, two tributes from District 12 survived the bloodbath, where 18 tributes lost their lives in the carnage. Most of these deaths were caused by the 13-strong career pack: this year consisting of the four tributes from District 1, the four tributes from District 2, a boy and a girl from District 3, the two girls from District 4, and even a girl from District 5. When they finally turned on each other, that alone would be a bloodbath to remember.

So vast was the arena that it almost seemed like it would be difficult to find other tributes. Then again, there were about 48 of them (now down to 30) when this mess started, and so the increased numbers made it seem like there would be more of them. Besides, there was no way that 13 tributes in the career pack could remain hidden for too long.

A certain Haymitch Abernathy, however, could. One of the surviving tributes from District 12, he was also one of the few that did not let the dazzling beauty of the arena distract him, and he was thus able to grab a large knife and get right into the mouth of the cornucopia to grab what he was fairly certain was one of the best backpacks. This turned out to be the truth, as it came with a few survival kits, and most noticeably, lots of food. He found it odd that there would be so much food at the cornucopia when the arena had so much food as well. He had suspicions about what it might be though, and so he went on the prowl in hopes to try and find some other sucker to do his dirty work.

Sure enough, on the end evening, one of the hungrier kids—a girl from District 7, went hunting for food, only to find some in the arena with relative ease. As tasty as it looked, Haymitch's fears were verified a moment later when she began convulsing, only to die a few seconds later causing a cannon to go off. His conclusion: everything in the arena itself was poison. This proved to be doubly true, when the scent of some flowers made him lightheaded. If they were releasing noxious fumes into the air, then he had to watch out for even the air.

Naturally, he didn't trust the water, and waited for rain instead. This proved to be the logical choice for the same reason. He was a lone ranger in these games, pitted against at least 25 more tributes, a dozen or so of which were part of the vicious career pack.

Still… by day 8 he had managed to evade being spotted, although that was a trend that was cut short immediately upon encountering three of the career tributes: a girl and two boys..

"Looks like '12 got a bit lost," one of the boys taunted.

"I ain't even scared," Haymitch retorted without hesitation, whipping out his knife and tossing it skillfully up into the air before catching it.

"That's because you haven't seen Marx and Severa yet." The girl warned. "you'll learn."

"Let's dance then," Haymitch shifted his legs apart into a stance. "There can only be one victor and it'd be a right shame if it was one of you sorry bastards."

The curly-haired Seam boy managed to overpower one of the boys almost immediately, suffering only a minor cut to his shoulder. He landed a good slash on the girl's left arm, but she was right-handed and was only using a shortsword anyways. The second boy went down a little harder, but in a reckless attempt to stop the career boy from putting his axe through his skull, Haymitch threw his knife, lodging it firmly in the boy's forehead. The problem then was that the girl, who had a number 4 on her shoulder, managed to throw him down and was moments away from cutting his throat open before she froze and fell over on top of him, motionless. Climbing out from under her, Haymitch saw a girl with a 12 on her shoulders, and a blowdart in the career girl's back.

"Thanks?" He shrugged, not sure if his last surviving district partner was about to turn on him next, or if she was here to help.

"No problem." She chuckled, retrieving her dart and stowing it with a collection of other ones she had, as well as a dart gun at her hip.

"Where'd you get the poison?" He raised an eyebrow.

"From literally anything in the arena," she chuckled, extending her hand; "Maysilee Donner, by the way"  
"Haymitch Abernathy," Haymitch shrugged, shaking her hand. Obviously if she was offering a hand free of any weapons or other poisons, then she was not hostile—at least for the moment. "you want to team up then?" Still—there was something to be said about asking anyways.

"The last victor from District 12 won a quarter quell by teaming up with a guy from District 2 of all places," Maysilee quipped, "We'd live longer with two of us."

After a bit of an exchange, Maysilee learned from Haymitch that the only thing he saw near the southern fringes of the arena was a vast mountain vista that was far beyond the boundaries of the arena. Similarly, Maysilee warned Haymitch that most of the careers had taken refuge on the side of the mountain with all of the best food, and also steering clear of the dangerous mutts and poisonous flora that had already claimed the lives of nearly a dozen tributes.

Day 10 proved this dangerous premonition to be correct. The snow-capped mountain lost all of its beauty in a single afternoon, erupting into an enormous volcano that killed a good number of tributes.

"8… 9… 10." Maysilee counted, "damn—that's the rest of the career pack unless there was another straggler on the mountain."

"Probably was," Haymitch quipped, "the odds aren't in our favor enough for that."

Marx's name appeared in the sky that night, saving Haymitch the trouble of ever having to meet him. It turned out that he was from District 1. Maysilee lay on her back watching the career pack's faces all light up the sky, except for the last face, which was a boy from District 8.

"Was that all of them?" she asked, "counting the three we killed the other day."

"Severa," Haymitch muttered, "there's one more girl out there."  
"Did you see her?"

"No, but those careers we fought said that I should be afraid of her."  
"I take it you didn't heed their warnings then."  
"Course not," Haymitch chuckled, "I'm not that stupid."

The next few days consisted of the two District 12 tributes exploring the arena without finding much in the way of other tributes, and luckily, no other dangers. They did make a trip back to the cornucopia to find that it would restock itself periodically—It was the only way they could keep the tributes fed, it seemed, since the arena flora and fauna were deadly or poisonous (or both). They wondered why the careers had not stayed here—maybe they didn't know about it, or were too worried about the dangers the arena held. Dozens of children had died in this exact spot, after all.

Maysilee and Haymitch continued exploring the vast arena, with a few more cannons going off periodically. It was only when they neared the edge of the arena that Maysilee finally spoke up.

"Hey," she noted, "I'm starting to think that it's about that time."  
"Already," Haymitch tilted his head, "there's still 3 others out there." He was still curious about who this Severa girl was, and why they hadn't seen her.

"I just don't want to outsmart the others and then be forced to turn on you." She reasoned.

"Alright," Haymitch shrugged, "May the odds be ever in your favor…"

And with that, Maysilee headed back north, while Haymitch continued south towards the fringes of the arena towards the mountain vista off in the distance, until he came to a cliff. Here he was, looking at freedom it seemed. He kicked a rock off the cliff, just to hear how far it would go before it hit the bottom. To his surprise, a few seconds after he kicked it, it flew back up, landing right where it had been before he had kicked it. He tried it again—the same effect happened. He threw a larger rock down, only for it to land right back at his feet.  
Haymitch had discovered the forcefield. With this knowledge, and a smirk on his face, he headed north to try and find another tribute.

His casual stroll turned into a frantic run only moments later as he heard Maysilee's scream. Shouting her name, he raced to the scene, only to find her throat skewered by a large, candy-pink bird—definitely another one of the Capitol's mutts. He fought it off, as well as the couple others that thought they could make easy pickin's of him.

Haymitch held Maysilee until she fully died, which totaled around 5-7 minutes. 5 tributes dropped down to 4, and Haymitch persisted. The days went by until two more faces showed up in the sky, and to his dismay, neither of them were Severa. If nothing else, it meant that sooner rather than later, he would end up crossing paths with this girl and either killing her or being killed by her.

Sure enough, hardly more than an hour later, Severa came barreling into view, wielding a wicked-looking throwing axe. Haymitch was stronger than he looked, but knew that he was outmuscled and outgunned so to speak, against this career girl.

He fled southward, although now and again he jumped back to strike at her, scuffling for a while. This earned him a slash on his arm and one that nearly decapitated him, while his knife found a spot on both her legs and across her side. Things went south for Haymitch fairly quickly as he felt his stomach sting, and suddenly he found himself nearly having to hold his guts in place to keep them from falling out. In a fit of anger, he lunged backwards, throwing his knife which struck Severa right in the eye. It was not enough to kill her, but it caused her to stagger as blood ran down her face. Haymitch used this time to limp like a madman towards the arena forcefield. This was his only hope.

Sure enough, Severa came bounding after him after a moment, but by this point Haymitch was strategically positioned near the cliff. In her fury, Several threw the axe at Haymitch, but the boy ducked at just the right moment, the whizzing of the axe nearly taking out a few of his stray curls. She smirked as Haymitch sunk to his knees, hacking as he tried to keep his insides in. She knew that Haymitch was bleeding out. All she had to do was wait…

…or so she thought. Moments after her axe had disappeared into the gorge, it flew right back up and lodged itself firmly into her forehead, killing her immediately. Through a bit of his own cunning, Haymitch had just become the 2nd victor from District 12, and the 50th Victor of the games.

The Capitol did not take well to being outsmarted though, and similar to Zerviah Hawke and Alice DeSiete, Haymitch's loved ones mysteriously 'disappeared' hardly two weeks after the games had ended. Haymitch knew it was no coincidence, and it was one of the reasons he took to drinking. Still, there was something to be said about District 12 and the wily ways of its tributes. If nothing else, they had a knack for winning the Quarter Quells, and a dangerous attitude towards the Capitol and the Hunger Games that no number of death arenas could take from them.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)


	51. The 51st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ These next chapters are shorter than the last few, but not overly short. It's obviously going to be hard to top that Quarter Quell, so while the Capitol won't shoot that high, we still hope to provide an entertaining experience._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 51st Annual Hunger Games**_  
_

No one was quite sure how the Capitol planned to top a Hunger Games as thrilling as the last year's, unless they made the 48-tribute rule a permanent one instead of just a one-time rule change for the Quarter Quell. When it became clear (much to the relief of the districts) that this rule change would not in fact be permanent, the nation heaved a sigh of relief. On the other hand, it also meant that the 51st Annual Hunger Games had some rather large shoes to fill.

Indeed the wake of the Quarter Quell would be difficult to top, what with its breathtaking but deadly arena, twice the number of tributes, another upset win by a District 12 tribute, and overall intensity, but since most of the arenas were built a few years in advance, the Gamemakers had just the thing.

The career pack would not reach 13 tributes this year like it had the previous time, but there was an intriguing set of tributes that would make it to the games this year.

District 12 produced a messy pair of tributes named Lars and Nina, who oddly found favor with District 2's Gunther James and Leliana Lee. District 1's volunteers included Masey Evans, daughter of victor Cobalt Evans; as well as Zeke Vermillion, one of the more popular candidates from his district.

District 5 was another set of tributes that people had eyes on. While they didn't join the other careers despite their performances in the training center, Lynn Luxio and Derrick James went and in turn allied themselves with the District 11 pair, Hunter and Felix. With '5 and '11 going after '1, '2, and '12, the twist in this year's games had just been established as the different lines of allegiance were drawn. All of the tributes from these five districts scored between 9 and 12, although the pair from District 7 also scored 9s even if they were not part of an alliance.

As such, they were among the survivors of the bloodbath, although 7 other tributes not part of any alliance were the first victims of this year's games. The remaining tributes got to witness the grandeur and dazzling beauty of the arena around them. Some even spent a few minutes taking it in after the frenzy at the bloodbath had subsided.

The arena this year appeared to be a massive network of caves loaded with glittery stones. The cornucopia was lit by fluorescent stones and flora that gave off soft glows that were bright enough to illuminate everything, just as it had illuminated the supplies (weapons, food, medical kits; the usual standard fare) at the cornucopia. While most of the arena was bathed in darkness or dim light, many of the stones and even plants were able to be removed and used as light sources. Some of the tributes used these to throw others off their path, and Lynn and Derrick even worked to make traps out of them and lure tributes into pitfalls.

As such, the next few days were fairly silent as tributes explored the arena and rigged up traps. A few of them encountered insectoid mutts that could only really be described as 'cave crawlers', but after some of the more recent debacles tributes had gone through in earlier Hunger Games, most tributes considered it second nature to just attack anything that moved, and to slay anything non-human on sight (unless of course the 'humans' in question were those horrifying humanoid muttations tributes called "Night Witches"; those were things that needed to be slaughtered immediately).

While District 12 was more than comfortable deep in the ground, the career pack was not so accustomed to it, particularly not District 1. The masons of District 2 were a bit more used to it, but they were used to working under the sun on the surface stones, rather than in the depths mining them out.

Hunter and her partner Felix took full advantage of this while their District 5 allies were off building another of their traps. By making fake noises around certain tunnels of the cave, they managed to split the careers three ways. Felix followed the pair from District 12, while Hunter went after the pair from District 1. Of the three pairs of tributes, District 11 considered District 12 the largest threat since they knew the most about District 11's behavior and antics.

Felix overheard them discussing the odds of how well they would do if they broke away from the career alliance, while also weighing the cons of such an act. Felix couldn't speak for the rest of his clan, but he wouldn't mind having Lars and Nina as allies, considering how high they had scored.

However, their ideas changed as two cannons went off. Hunter had just lived up to her name and taken down the District 1 pair on her own. The closeness of the shots meant that it had to have been two of the career tributes, and thus Lars and Nina turned tail and ran back the way they came to rendezvous with Gunther and Leliana. Felix in turn reunited with Hunter, and then with Lynn and Derrick as they formulated their next plan of attack.

It took them a couple more days before they found any more action, and unfortunately, they found it the hard way. Someone (and they all had a shrewd idea who, given the seditious nature of these traps) had rigged up a rather elaborate trap in plain sight, and the '5/'11 alliance had walked right into it, effectively wiping all of them out except Derrick, who still sustained serious injuries from the darts, poison, and rocks that had assailed them in the last few moments. Hunter was still gasping for breath, but one look at her body told Derrick that even if he tried helping her that she would still die. Those jagged rocks sticking out of her told him those wounds were mortal, and after softly apologizing, he put her out of her misery as he crawled away. He glanced back at his dead friends peppered with darts and jagged rocks, before limping to safety and using what few supplies he had to revitalize himself.

However, his location was strategic, and so while he managed to go a full four days without being seen, he was surrounded by light traps that he and his partner Lynn had made. When the careers saw the still slightly battered tribute laying there seemingly out in the open, they rushed him. Normally they might have suspected a trap, but Derrick had positioned himself in such a way that he appeared very dazed and disorganized, and in a much worse condition than he actually was.

Luckily for him, his opponents took the bait hook, line, and sinker, triggering his trap and ending all four of their lives in a single stroke. As the final four cannons rang out, Derrick gave a satisfied smirk, knowing that his little stunt here had just made him the 7th victor from District 5, and the 51st victor of the Hunger Games overall.

While it was no Quarter Quell, the trap-laden light cave was still a memorable arena full of all sorts of devious debauchery as tributes worked to construct mechanisms and contraptions to end each other's lives. District 3 was notorious for this sort of thing, but Derrick's victory was a reminder that District 5 was not only full of wily tributes who often made good warriors, but was also full of devilishly cunning tributes that made good mechanists. He aimed to maintain that reputation as well.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)


	52. The 52nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And after a few delays due to the Golden Age and pre-planning whatnots and why-fors, here we finally get to meet our good friend Chaff. we don't know much about what he did apart from losing an arm and otherwise having a very powerful fighting style, but hopefully I can do him some justice for delaying his games. Putting him this year would actually make him within a year or a few months of Haymitch, and they're reportedly good drinking buddies._  
_Whatever the case, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 52nd Annual Hunger Games**

With the thrilling and somewhat controversial Quarter Quell a couple years behind them, the Capitol was still hard at work to make sure that the games that followed in the wake of the Quell and the 'Golden Age' were not too repetitive and not too boring for the (Capitol) audiences. They had their work cut out for them, but a fresh new staff in the wake of the retired members from the previous years meant that they had a clean slate to work with and a slew of fresh new ideas to try.

And thus, the 52nd Annual Hunger Games was born. After less than a decade, it seemed District 11 would cast a repeat on Panem of what they did only a few years before. Esmeralda Lee and Chaff Mitchell were both volunteers that year: the former volunteering in place of a 12-year-old, and the latter volunteering in place of a cousin, incidentally. Both of them were bold and wild; not necessarily as terrifying as tributes from recent games like Fenris, Zefira, Zadok, or Liberty, but still bold and courageous enough to put up a fight.

Their main opposition this year, of course, would come from the careers: Peter Glitz and Tiamo Velor from District 1; while Marco Stone and Susan Hidalgo volunteered to represent District 2. While they all looked intimidating and perhaps even a little daunting on television, for hardy farmhands like Chaff and Esmeralda, they figured they could make the best of their situation and fight them off. Time would tell as to their success, and they hoped to prove themselves in the training center first. From there they aimed to attract sponsors with high training scores and displays of combat prowess in the arena itself. The only variable from there would be the landscape of the arena.

Unsurprisingly, the careers all scored high, with the District 1 pair both scoring 11s and the District 2 pair scoring 10s. Esmeralda and Chaff were no repeats of Rye and Sagittaria, the two volunteers from year 44 that had both scored 11s, but Esmeralda's 8 and Chaff's 9 were nothing to sneeze at. While they had specialized in blades and sickles as opposed to the axes, swords, and spears that the career tributes all took up, District 11 was crafty and resourceful enough to make do with whatever they were given.

When they finally caught their first glimpse of the arena though, they knew they were in for a treat. What appeared to be a red, hostile desert was stretched out in every direction. For a district that specialized in agriculture. This hostile landscape was likely more suited towards the careers. The masons of District 2 lived surrounded by rocks in the desert, and their northern neighbors in District 1 were in similar circumstances. Chaff also watched for the District 5 pair, knowing they lived in the desert southwest of Panem as well.

However, Esmeralda's eyes were on the prize, and Chaff noticed her fixation as the timer counted down from 60 to the deaths of probably at least half a dozen of the kids standing in this semicircle. He immediately saw what she was focused on, however: sickles, and lots of them. Similar to the year where there had only been weirdly shaped maces and clubs, this year there seemed to be nothing at the cornucopia except scythes and sickles, which meant food would likely be somewhere out in the desert.

Chaff and Esmeralda knew that the safer option would be to flee while the going was good, but they were both too bold and reckless to take the sissy way out. They knew that if they could get their hands on some of those weapons that they would wreak havoc at the cornucopia, and so that was exactly what they did. Seizing sickles in both hands, they went to town on the other tributes, with their combined kill counts accounting for 6 of the 11 tributes that died that morning. This feat, while ruthless, established the District 11 pair as a formidable threat as the careers seized weapons of their own and fled to find sustenance and supplies. Esmeralda and Chaff headed in the opposite direction to scout out the arena.

It did not take long for them to realize what was at work here. While the arena was far from being level, what with rock formations, buttes, mesas, and plateaus ever present to mix things up, there were fields and ditches that made it seem like there was some idiot that had constructed farms out in the middle of this unforgiving shrub-ridden rocky desert. Further exploration found wells of water as well as a certain pattern to the plots of fields in the desert. Esmeralda used this pattern to track down and kill the boy from District 10 that had survived the bloodbath.

The next few days were spent farming as they bided their time. The sickles proved useful for this endeavor, making harvesting food much easier.

6 days in and it was clear that the games were going to end too quickly. By this time, only 6 tributes remained, and even as they battled against Chaff and Esmeralda, they appeared to be losing. Before either side could kill each other, the Capitol sent a huge storm to break them apart, and thus the two alliances were split in three different ways, with Peter and Susan being forced southwest, Marco and Tiamo being forced southeast, and Esmeralda and Chaff being forced north. Despite being separated and thus safe from harm, Esmeralda had been poisoned by one of the careers' weapons, and despite the medicine she had been sponsored, there was nothing that could save her, and so she gave up the ghost before the 7th evening, where her face appeared in the sky.

Tiamo also wound up dying of natural causes (unless Marco betrayed her) on day 8, while Chaff rested and recuperated. He knew that tomorrow he aimed to go on the offensive, with the hopes of taking down the remaining three careers.

Morning came and that was exactly what he did. Seizing both of his sickles and filling up on the food one last time, he carved a warpath through the arena, catching Peter and Susan both off guard. Their cannons woke up Marco, who heard noises in Chaff's direction. These were actually technically caused by the Capitol, who knew that it was time to lure the remaining two tributes together. Chaff's sickles were faster, but Marco was defensive enough with his scythe that neither boy was able to so quickly land a strike on the other. Steel clashed against steel, and sparks flew between the two of them both figuratively and literally. The real game-changed happened after Marco managed to lop off Chaff's arm at the elbow, rending him a one-handed fighter instead of a dual-wielder. However, similar to Viridi Kuro from years ago, Chaff didn't let this faze him, and he simply amped up his offensive. Despite blood spilling everywhere, he successfully managed to trip Marco up before swinging his sickle hard enough that it decapitated Marco and ended the games. Despite missing an arm, Chaff Mitchell became the 5th victor from District 11, and the 52nd victor of the Hunger Games.

While occasionally a tribute lost a limb or other part of them, it was rare for them to become victors. Chaff broke that mold, and also refused to accept a prosthetic limb to replace the one he lost, and so his arm was merely a stump from then on out. It didn't stop him from being able to hold a whiskey bottle, and like many victors before him, the drink was his friend. It was one of the many brutal truths of the Hunger Games, but as a brutal fighter himself, Chaff wasn't too choked up about it. He had merely done what he felt anyone would do in his situation.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)


	53. The 53rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And shortly after Chaff comes our good friend Brutus. There's also a Clove that appears in this chapter. Like the Glimmer from a few chapters ago, it's just another name, and not someone we know. Also, anyone with further questions is more than welcome to send me a message as well. I'm happy to clear anything up if something is unusual or unclear. That said, here's today's chapter. The next one might be delayed because of life-related reasons, but upon my return, I will post the following chapter as soon as possible._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 53rd Annual Hunger Games**

Considering that it had been over half a century since the inception of the Hunger Games, a lot of things had changed since the beginning. The arenas were more complex, the training centers were more refined, and the tributes came out stronger. Extending the training period by a couple days had definitely seen an increase in performance, and thus much fewer tributes died of natural causes, and more ended up victims of attacks from mutts, hazards, or other tributes.

But even this was not enough. The Capitol Gamemakers had to ensure that year after year, the event remained exciting, perhaps if nothing else, to keep the citizenry (of the Capitol, anyhow) blind to the sordid reality of what these games were celebrating and what they entailed.

Whatever the case, the 53rd Annual Hunger Games was fixing to be one of the games the Capitol enjoyed flaunting to their audiences. The usual career packs were definitely going to form, and cheers erupted from the District 1 crowds as tributes Clove Esmeralda and Marcus Clay reached the stage. Over in District 2, a few would-be tributes actually had to be hospitalized from the ferocity of Aela Burns' ascent to the volunteer stage. Her partner, Brutus Gunn, lived up to his name by being just as fierce in his fight to volunteer for his district.

Judging by the performances of the tributes in the training center, it was clear that if none of them stepped up to form alliances, that there was a high chance the careers would go unmatched this year. Nefeni and Rolf from District 3 did not step up, although Mercer and Azura from District 4 did at least form a loose alliance with the careers, bringing the 1-2-4 alliance back to life for this year's festivities.

District 1's Clove wowed the crowds at the end of the training week by scoring a perfect 12, and her allies Brutus, Marcus, and Aela all scored 11s. Rolf and Nefeni scored 7s, while Mercer took a 9, and Azura took an 8. No one else scored higher than 7, and so they were all but ignored by the betting crowds and would-be sponsors. Perhaps some of them had deliberately tried to keep their scores low for deceptive purposes (shadier places like District 11 or District 12 was notorious for this when they weren't going all out and scoring frighteningly high), but until they revealed themselves as being dangerous, most of the Capitol audiences would have their focuses elsewhere.

12 tributes were massacred hardly 2 minutes into the games, giving only half of the tributes a proper glimpse at the mountainous arena surrounding them. The snow-capped mountain vistas extended for what seemed like miles, and under the colorful skies and adrenaline rushes from the opening minutes of the bloodbath, the cool temperatures were easy to ignore at first. There were weapons and supplies spilling from the cornucopia, but food was minimal, which meant it was probably on the mountains or in the valleys below. Perhaps some of the birds circling the mountains in the distance were edible.

Brutus took command of the career pack, despite Clove receiving a higher score. She seemed okay with it, considering that it had been a few years since the careers had been able to properly turn on one another, and she, like the rest of them, was itching for more of that when the time came. As such, Marcus, Clove, Aela, and Brutus didn't fear getting stabbed in the back by one of their allies while there were 8 other tributes out there, especially since two of those were Mercer and Azura, who had honored the alliance thus far. Ideally, they would be the eyes and ears of the careers.

Two days in, and Nefenie and Rolf were glad they geared up as they trekked through the mountains. The high altitude rendered chilly temperatures, and the fact that they were bundled up was what kept them from freezing. A blizzard hit one of the distant mountains, keeping them wary.

Far below them, the pair from District 4 were scouting out the much warmer valley. Most of the tributes had gone this way, and so there was much more action down here. It was another three days before Mercer and Azura rendezvoused with their comrades from District 1 and District 2, by which time three more tributes had been taken down by Brutus and his gang. A day later after Mercer finished scouting his section of the arena, a cannon fired, only for Azura to return with news of the last other tribute's death. All that remained now were the tributes from Districts 4, 2, 1, and 3; the latter of which had not been seen the entire time. Usually when that happened, they were set up and geared up with nefarious traps or homemade weapons. Not wanting to risk this, Brutus and Aela both agreed (behind Azura and Mercer's backs) with their District 1 allies to spare District 4 for the time being.

Nefeni and Rolf were still waiting for the blizzards to pass, although their mountain stayed conspicuously safe. By morning 10, they finally realized why. The birds that had seemed to circle the mountains consistently off in the distance were actually large eagle mutts, and when they spotted the tribute pair on the mountainside, a half dozen of these creatures made quick work of the pair, ending whatever plans they had before they could even be made.

The death of District 3 also meant trouble for District 4. Unfortunately for them, Mercer and Azura were not fast enough to stop Clove from reacting, and with two deft movements from her dual-swords, she had killed them both with a smirk.

"With '3 gone, that just left our pack. We've got what we wanted, it seems."  
"Draw your weapons and fight!" Brutus warned the others, all of whom scattered in that moment. They spent the afternoon resting up, with eyes on each other. Later near sundown, they returned to confront each other and began a vicious melee.

Brutus took an upper hand because of his strength and devastating blows. Instead of trying to kill right away like his (now former) allies were attempting, he went in for their arms and legs to try and cripple and disable them. It was because of this tactic that he managed to first take down Marcus, then Clove, and then his own partner Aela, before he stood triumphant over their corpses like a gladiator who had survived his fight. Considering that that was the origins of the Hunger Games to an extent, it was rather theatrical to watch Brutus Gunn become the 10th victor from District 2, and the 53rd victor of the games.

Because of how the games went down, this year's events were well-remembered for being one of the games that established a reputation among the career tributes for ganging up, killing off the weaker tributes, and then turning on themselves to finish each other off and end the games. It was rare that this actually happened considering some of the other forces that often came into play such are mutts, arena hazards or events, backstabbing tributes or ex-allies from Districts 3, 4, or 5; or because of powerful saboteurs from Districts 12 and 11. However, when it did happen, it made the games go out with a bang just as Brutus had done—and it helped the man live up to his name in the meantime…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)


	54. The 54th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now that I'm back from my trip, here is the chapter just as I promised. Times like this make me glad that I have a few extra chapters written in reserve, because there's no way I would have been able to crank this out right here and right now._  
_Anyhoot, Chapter 54. Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 54th Annual Hunger Games**_  
_

After the theatric games of the year before, the Capitol as well as the career districts wondered if the 54th Annual Hunger Games was going to be able to top it or not. With this many games to look back on, it was fairly easy to gauge which tributes would do well and which ones wouldn't. Some, like District 5, tended to produce hit and miss characters, with many powerful victors emerging in the last 54 years, and other times bringing kids that died in the bloodbath. Others, such as District 12, didn't have very good win records, but still posed a solid threat one way or another using dangerous and often times subversive tactics to their advantage.

Unlike the previous year, this year the careers would face a potential challenge in some of the outer districts. While they weren't terribly shabby in terms of performance, they had to recruit Leo and Leanne from District 3 to counterbalance the 5-strong alliance that faced them: Martin Soleli and Lydia Dakara from District 11, Kaden Boggs and Madison Keaton from District 12, and Tiffany Waxler, the girl from District 10. While District 9 usually stuck to itself though occasionally joined up with these outer districts, this year the pair grouped up with District 8 and District 7 instead, and with them went Tiffany's partner. Districts 4, 5, and 6, not wanting to be on the short end of the deal with no allies, formed a sort of nonviolence pact with each other so that they had a somewhat decent chance of escaping the bloodbath.

The scores that year were all fairly high. From 12s and 11s among the careers and outliers to 7s and 8s among the lesser-performing tributes, no one that year scored below a 7, which was remarkable all things considering. How that translated in the arena was another issue entirely though. It wasn't a bloodbath if no one died.

There was a bloodbath, however, and 9 tributes died from it. Among them was the entirety of the 3rd alliance ('9, '8, '7, and the boy from '10) as well as a girl from District 4 and a boy from District 6. The rest of them fanned out and ventured into the foreboding rainforest that surrounded them on all sides. The cornucopia had had plenty of weapons, but they and salves were all it contained this year, which meant that the cornucopia was not likely going to be a very safe spot to stick around at. Machetes were particularly common among the assortment of weapons. Given the sheer amount of brush and foliage around them, it made sense. It just meant that there would be a lot of bushwhacking.

The jungles seemed to be devoid of most life though. Despite this, most of the water appeared to be clean and the plant life appeared to be edible. Two tribute deaths later and they realized that there was an abundance of poison water and flora, which might have explained all the antidotes and salves at the cornucopia. The tributes from the outer districts played it safe and had a better time deciphering what was toxic and what wasn't, due to their time spent outdoors and their time spent at the corresponding stations during training.

It was after a few days that most of the tributes came to the conclusion that other than plants, there did not seem to be any other life forms out there in this arena (barring other tributes of course). This, however, was where they were wrong.

The career pack did not survive day 5. Instead, all of them apart from Leo and Leanne found themselves attacked by enormous ants and insects. As if their unnatural sizes weren't terrifying enough, their pincers were both sharp and poisonous, and made quick work of the unsuspecting tributes, who were trained more for combat rather than survival or outdoorsmanship. While they were able to fight off some of these large insectoids, they were outnumbered due to the subtlety of the creatures in their initial strike.

Immediately after the anthem that evening the remaining tributes froze as they saw the faces of four of the career tributes appear in the sky. Food became dangerous to carry around, and the surviving tributes watched their backs more closely this time around.

However, there were no more ants on day 7 or 8. Instead the flow of the games was more combat-based. Tiffany managed to score two kills named Leo and Leanne, but not before they wiped out the rest of her alliance barring Lydia. The two girls continued on their trek, as the only remaining tributes were from Districts 5 and 6.

The next morning while Tiffany was keeping watch, the ants returned. They were faster than they were before so even as she woke up Lydia, the creatures gave chase.

"I'm sorry, Lydia…" Tiffany whispered as she pushed her old friend to trip her up. The mutts attacked her and slowed themselves down as a result, and she beelined it for where she assumed the camp of the remaining two tributes was. Instead of attacking them, she grabbed her bag full of food and slung it at them, splattering them with the fruits and other sticky, sweet edibles they had harvested from the jungle.

All it took from there was her to scamper up a tree as the invading ants continued their pursuit and found the remaining two tributes. They put up a good fight, but with Tiffany throwing things at them from her tree, they were too overwhelmed to fight both her and the ants, especially since the latter was a much greater threat. As a result, it only took a few intense minutes before the remaining two tributes were dead, and the games had ended. The ants disappeared rather than pursue Tiffany (although a few appeared to start climbing the tree before vanishing), and just like that, she had become the 2nd victor from District 10 after all these years, and the 54th victor of the 'games.

She was not completely traumatized on her return to District 10, but Tiffany was understandably terrified of ants and spiders, even if the ones back home were much smaller than the gargantuan ones she had faced in the arena. It was an almost comical thing to be afraid of, but no one really understood the terrifying reality of what she had been through. It was one thing to see it on TV, but to experience it live and firsthand… that was how the nightmares were born.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)


	55. The 55th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Normally I'm not one to post two chapters in a row like this,but yesterday's chapter was to make up for the lack of a chapter on Monday, and so today's is just me returning to my normal scheduling. Anyhoot, here's chapter 55. One of the names is actually a reference to my book, but I've woven a few of those in this story so far and there's been no harm done so it'll probably continue one way or another considering how many hundreds of names I will potentially need._  
_Whatever the case, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 55th Annual Hunger Games**

The 6th decade of the Hunger Games was not as glorious as the 5th decade, but at the same time, that was a very lofty bar which had been set, and fortunately for the Gamemakers and their ratings, the games remained interesting regardless. The landscapes with which they made their arenas were varied and diverse, and this year, they planned to take advantage of that.

The arena for the 55th Annual Hunger Games was quite a sight to take in, with its rolling sand dunes as far as the eye can see. While the sun blazed down on the tributes, it was almost like this whole arena was in a more wintry setting, since the air was cool and dry, and even the sand was cold. Also of particular interest was that the arena uniforms this year did not have shoes, although as the clock ticked, some tributes spotted a few pairs in the cornucopia for the warier types. Most of them figured that this arena wouldn't stay cool and beautiful for very long.

The tribute pair from District 1 had swiftly joined up with the pair from District 2, and all of them scored between 9 and 11 in training, which was standard fare these days. District 3 also performed well, with the boy, Sterling, scoring a 9, and his partner, McKenzie, scoring an 8. They did not join the careers, but their friends from District 4 did. Mikoto Durell and Zak Dreggite, both of whom scored 10s, formed a loose alliance with the pairs from '1 and '2, but with the lack of solidity the way there was between Districts 1 and 2, both sides of this alliance would still watch their backs, especially later into the games.

Normally tribute interviews were all the same, what with 24 children making promises to return home that 23 of them would eventually break; the careers boasting about how they were going to dominate the arena (these being promises they usually kept), and the occasional kid from District 11 or District 12 telling the crowds not to count them out. These were often the most difficult children to discern, because of the subversive and sabotaging nature of their actions in the games. This year though, it was the boy from District 4 that said something that managed to stand out. When asked about the games, he replied with one simple but bold statement.

"It's brother against brother and sister against sister out there. I suppose any friendships I form in the arena are doomed to die."  
It was controversial for sure, but no one really was sure what else to make of it, and so despite Zak being heavily monitored the rest of the evening, nothing else came of it. Morning would come and Zak would be forced to eat his words.

Sure enough, 9 tributes stained the white sands red with their blood the morning of the games, and the careers went for the boots, not wanting to take chances against the gypsum sands. As always there were weapons in the arena; the Gamemakers would never force the tributes to kill each other with their bare hands, and thankfully they weren't more like tools the way they had been the previous year. Axes, spears, swords, bows, knives, and other such instruments of death were littered around the cornucopia. There were not quite as many weapons, and there were a few random shards of metal as well, but the 15 remaining tributes all managed to arm themselves with at least something before they ventured off into the sandy wilderness.

There was nothing but sand and desolation as far as the eye could see. Every now and again over the rolling dunes was a large cactus or other plant, which proved to be full of water and also had fruits that were edible. This was the desert, and it was hostile and unforgiving, even if it was cooler than the stereotypical desert for some reason.

The evening grew even colder, but it was actually one of the most spectacular views of the sky any tribute (or Capitolite) had ever seen. The bright moon and stars were plainly visible, and it was like a vast array of glittery sprinkles against the black abyss, to see so many stars like that. Zak and Mikoto checked their packs later that evening, to find a tent of all things, among their belongings. Deciding to pitch it, they took the risk of being noticed, even if they had nestled themselves safely between two large dunes.

This actually proved to be one of the better moves they did, because it kept them in the shadow of the wind, which kicked up late into evening 2. It persisted into day 3 and day 4, almost burying the little tent in sand. Some other tributes must have gotten lost in the gypsum whirlwinds, because 3 cannons went off, one of which was the girl from District 1.

Day 5 saw the clear skies again, with spots of clouds here or there, but nothing to really cast an eye at. The temperature was still cool and pleasant, but if the Capitol was going to shoot hazards into the arena like tempestuous winds, the tributes stayed on guard in case something else came up.

Zak and Mikoto explored the arena, splitting up to cover more ground. They left their tent up since they didn't really have any other supplies to have looted. Both of them came back that evening with another kill added to their score, making them two of the three tributes to score a kill that day.

Day 6 left 9 tributes in play, and one look at the sky was a clear sign that they needed to find higher ground immediately. Dark grey clouds began rolling in, and the District 3 pair in particular knew that this meant danger.

"most normal sand is made of quartz or something similar," Sterling told his partner, "this is gypsum, which dissolves in water. We're in for a wild ride…"

"Then let's get as high as we can and away from what looks like a flood!" McKenzie agreed.

Sure enough, days 7 and 8 were encompassed completely by over 48 hours of torrential downpours. The low points of the dunes were carved into river valleys, sweeping away two different tributes, including the boy from District 1. Zak, Mikoto, and Sterling were okay, but McKenzie was the other victim, leaving only the pair from Districts 2 and 4, as well as the boys from District 3 and District 9, and the girl from District 11. The latter of these died late in the evening before the rains stopped, although she was killed by one of the remaining careers.

Day 9 brought forth a new type of hazard, which seemed to be designed to draw the tributes together. Multitudes of moderately-sized white lizards emerged from the sands, and at first they seemed harmless. However, Mikoto learned the hard way that they were poisonous when she killed a couple of them and tried eating them. she died, and was not the only one that died that day. The other two non-career boys were killed by the girl from District 2, and by Zak. After counting the cannons, Zak knew that he was outnumbered and that they were likely going to come for him, and so he set a trap up for them. He pitched his tent again, right around a dune that he knew housed those lizard mutts. He took his axe and blazed a trail around the still damp, cool sand, to try and find his targets. Luckily for him, it seemed he wouldn't have to actually do much fighting. The District 2 pair raided his camp without question or hesitation, only to find his decoy, and suddenly find swarms of lizards attacking them. The girl lost her life to these mutts, while her partner fled with only minor injuries.

Unfortunately for him, Zak was waiting just out of sight, and by the time he was in sight, Zak's axe had lodged itself in the boy's chest, killing him and ending it on the spot. Zak was now the 4th victor from District 4, and the 55th Victor of the Hunger Games.

Zak was wary around the sandy beaches of his home district after the games, and he didn't take kindly to the presence of lizards of any sort. The weather was something he was used to, including the torrential rains and winds. His reaction was simply to take shelter and remember his survival skills from the arena, and that was exactly what he did. Apart from a few fears and quirks, Zak managed to remain fairly stable, and helped put District 4 back into the running again.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)


	56. The 56th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ I had a lot of fun with this chapter. The character in question also draws a lot of mystery, and so perhaps I might get them a bit more involved in the rest of my established universe. No new canon victors just yet, although Cecelia and Enobaria are not far off. There's a regular update schedule this week, although next week near the end of the month might be slightly erratic. I'll keep updates on my profile. In the meantime, thanks for all the support, and I'm glad the story is being enjoyed._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 56th Annual Hunger Games**

Even decades after the fact no one was entirely sure what was so endearing and memorable about the "Golden Age" of the Hunger Games, but at the same time, the Gamemakers that ran the show for the 56th Annual Hunger Games did not want to be remembered as the ones living in the shadows of their predecessors, and so they'd do what they could to keep the show going.

Designing an arena was tricky work. Some of them were easier to build foundations for, since all it took was finding landscape that matched the idea. Others were trickier because of some of the gimmicks the Gamemakers used. Either way, all land used in an arena was carefully engineered to be alterable and for them to be able to spawn mutts at any given time and any given place. This year they felt pretty satisfied with what they had come up with, and knew that it would necessitate a good deal of exploration when the time came. They just hoped that they would have tributes from the right walks to make the best use of this year's arena.

As the Reapings concluded, it seemed that the Gamemakers would get their wish after all. District 1's Inigo Starlight and Zoroka Chandaki wowed the crowds both because of their strength and dexterity, but also because of their good looks. Inigo was positively dashing, while Zoroka's beauty was more rugged and wild. She was a woman of few words, but her triumphant smile was a rather pleasing sight. Her squat, athletic build was more like something out of District 2, although District 2's Brady Dashner and Fox Colorado were taller and thus looked more intimidating. The most interesting thing about Zoroka to the Capitol anyhow was that very few records of her existence could be found. They found enough information on her family to know who she was, but short of that, it was almost as if she was born and then had vanished for 18 years. Whatever the case, she was fast and powerful, and would definitely leave an impact on the games this year.

One of the more unusual alliances this year was District 6 and District 7. Coming from starkly contrasting districts made them unlikely allies, but the uncanny skill with traps and gadgets made the District 6 pair formidable opponents that could augment the defensive and offensive prowess of their District 7 brethren. Even the Capitol knew this alliance had potential after 8s and 9s appeared next to their names on the night before the games.

Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5 also showed similar potential, with all of them scoring between 8 and 11 except Zoroka, who led the pack with a 12. The 7s that District 4's tributes both scored couldn't have been too detrimental to them either, provided they could survive the looming bloodbath that would claim many lives the following morning.

Said bloodbath wound up claiming 10 lives, one of which was from District 4's female tribute. No one beyond District 7 survived except a single District 11 girl named Vivian, who snatched a pair of sais before disappearing southward into an imposing cornfield. The rest of the tributes began to search the arena to see what awaited them. Barring Zoroka, the career pack remained at the cornucopia to take advantage of the crates of food and supplies that were there. The District 1 girl instead raced into the wilderness to find other tributes and to scout out the landscape.

After three days, she had toured almost the entire thing: the cornfield to the south that concealed Vivian covered most of the southern acreage of the arena, while to the east was a light forest and a lake. Heading north led to denser forests in the northeast, while the north central area became mountainous. Zoroka evaded tracker-jackers in the woods and wolves on the mountains. She was also fairly certain that she had located where the District 7 pair was hiding, but left them alone for now. Their time would come, and she'd be ready. Being sponsored a pair of metallic gauntlets didn't hurt either.

She slew the District 4 boy and the District 3 pair as she moved westward, where the mountainous terrain became flatter and more akin to a desert. As she finished her rounds after three days, she ventured into the cornfield, carefully zigzagging around to prevent her movement from being too predictable. Vivian would likely attack her on sight (probably in self-defense, since, while Zoroka was shorter, she was built as solid as the laborers from District 11, and had shown to be much faster than most tributes that size), and so Zoroka had to make sure she was fast enough to evade capture.

She waited until evening before making her move, and upon making sure that there were no weapons in reach before gently waking Vivian up. Naturally the girl jumped, but Zoroka calmed her down, and proposed an alliance. She aimed to backstab the other careers shortly after taking out the tributes from District 6 and District 7.

Over the next few days, a war was waged between the District 6/District 7 alliance and the career pack, with Vivian deliberately staying out of the way. Sometime during this scuffle, the District 5 pair were wiped out, and to Zoroka, this was enough of an indicator that the time to attack was now. She raced in, zigzagging around rocks and trees as well as patches of ground that she knew were rigged up with traps, and began assailing the District 7 pair, who were the front lines. Their District 6 comrades stood behind them launching projectiles of some sort, but Zoroka was at the top of her speed game that day, and so she went right in, swinging her metal-clad fists against these tributes, severely injuring them. Her comrades took advantage of the opportunity and laid waste to them with ease. For the time being, they made camp here. Zoroka scouted the area again in hopes of finding Vivian, and also noticed that her own alliance was extremely lucky. Traps riddled the area, and Zoroka's own gamble had been the only reason they had not walked right into one. None of the others seemed to notice though—not even Vivian a couple nights later when she walked into one. Of course, her death and the cannon that followed suddenly had the other careers on edge, and Zoroka explained what was going on.

"we're surrounded by traps except for three small areas," she explained, since by this point their original entrance had been forgotten, "and with Vivian's death, I don't want to be the first to die now that we turn on each other."  
The others gave her a suspicious look.

"Luckily, I would rather fight fairly than let you fall into traps, so the places that aren't rigged are mostly on this side apart for this one…" she added.

Zoroka bounded over a rigged area, her speed barely missing the trap as it sliced through the air, cutting off a few stray strands of her hair. The careers followed her, only to fall victim to the traps, nearly giving the District 6 pair a few post-mortem kills. However, it weakened them to the point where Zoroka knew she had the game in the bag.

"I lied," was all she felt like she needed to say before she used a combination of her metallic gloves and her own swords to take down her three former allies. With three final shots from the cannons, Zoroka had been crowned the 9th victor from District 1, and the 56th victor of the Hunger Games.

The most intriguing aspect about Zoroka Chandaki was not so much the way she looked or the vicious way she fought in the arena, but more the notion of who she was as a person, and even the origins of her very existence. Were it not for records of the Chandakis having a daughter, as well as the victory in the 56th Hunger Games, there was very little other evidence that Zoroka existed. Her own memories of her first 18 years were fairly hazy as well, and she seldom spoke of it either. There was nothing necessarily unusual about her (she was definitely only human; and her skills had come from vigorous training and hard work) except the mystery that surrounded the origins of a victor who all people could really say about her was that she was born in District 1. What was clear, however, was that she was smart and cunning, and a prized fighter that most people would quite enjoy seeing again…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)


	57. The 57th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ And here we reach Cecelia's Hunger Games. We're approaching the final stretch of tributes from 'Catching Fire', but since this story follows the same AU that all my other stories adhere to, things will start to get a little different the closer we get to the next Quell. However, that's still nearly two decades out, and so fret not. In the meantime, here's a reminder of the power of District 8. Motherly as she might have been, Cecelia wasn't necessarily a gentle fighter..._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 57th Annual Hunger Games**

After the triumph of such a mysterious and desirable victor, the Capitol wondered how they could bring out the best of tributes like that in future games. A lot of it came down to chance, and rigging the reapings was usually something they only did to send a message to a particular tribute. There hadn't been a single one with a rigged reaping that had not gotten a personal talking-to from President Snow himself sometime between the training week and the games.

As such, the 57th Annual Hunger Games did not have any reapings rigged, and at the end of the day it still managed to produce a handful of promising tributes. From District 2, Kada Zavala and Zerviah Lynn emerged as the heroes of their district that year—the ones worthy of representing their district in the Hunger Games. Over in District 1, Greg Diamond and Mara Stonewall produced a similar scenario, already sowing seeds of the annual career pack before they had even reached training.

There weren't very many others worthy of note that year, although the District 11 pair scored a little higher than most of their outer-district brethren. The pair from District 8 did as well this year, giving hope to a district that had not seen a victor since the controversial win from Alice DeSiete 11 years ago.

Liam Lane and Cecelia Sanchez weren't the mighty warriors that the careers were, but they were still a formidable force to be reckoned with, and with a mentor like Alice teaching them the ins and outs of the arena, they were set to be as sly and subversive as some of the other tributes, even garnering a reputation akin to the ones that District 11 and District 12 had.

Kada and Zerviah impressed the crowds by scoring perfect 12s in training, after demonstrating proficient prowess with bows, swords, axes, and spears all in the 15 minute allotted period. District 1 also performed similarly well. While they weren't as masterful as their comrades from District 2, the two of them both took home 11s, with Greg's strength being his might and power, while Mara's was more her agility and speed.

On the other hand, Liam and Cecelia were about to remind Panem why District 8 had such a sinister reputation not much different from District 5. Sure, plenty of them had died in the bloodbath in various games, but like District 5, the ones that survived were usually conniving schemers that knew how to manipulate the games. With a mentor like Alice, who taught them several of the ins and outs of the 'games, the pair this year went in with an idea or two about how they aimed to survive and escape the bloodbath. Liam's 7 was earned through adept use of poisons, while Cecelia's 8 had required a bit of knife-wielding prowess for the girl to earn.

Both Liam and Cecelia managed to escape the bloodbath with a few supplies, and thus their corpses were not among the 9 that littered the arena's cornucopia meadow. Once they were safely out of view of the careers, who stayed at the cornucopia to take advantage of the food and supplies that this year's games had to offer, the pair decided to explore the arena.

Their vision was very short-ranged due to heavy fog looming over most of the arena. The fog was dense with moisture but not as opaque as some fog, which allowed them to see more than a few feet in front of them. Their clothes were soaked within minutes, but the temperature of the surrounding area was cool enough that it did not cause them discomfort.

Three days passed before any more tributes died, and by that time, Liam and Cecelia met back up after exploring the arena. It appeared to be a large clifflike island surrounded by rough seas about 50 feet down. The cliffs were rocky but otherwise almost sheer, with the crumbly rocks reducing any chance of being able to climb back up—if a tribute even survived the fall.

The moisture from the fairly consistent mist made plant life grow in abundance, and Liam took advantage of this as he poisoned his weapons and crafted a dart gun. It was actually these two that scored the next two kills—both from District 10. Cecelia poisoned her blades and went in for the finishing strikes after Liam had debilitated them. The two cannons that went off alarmed the careers, who also started spreading out to go on a hunt. Their food supplies were running low as well.

Three girls wound up dealing a devastating blow to the career pack during this exploration. Early on in Day 5 as the careers rested by a river, they were ambushed by the girls from District 5, District 11, and District 12, ending the lives of Mara and Greg before attacking Kada and Zerviah. The pair from District 2 managed to escape with a few wounds, but the three girls scattered, likely to retreat and plan their next attack, which would likely be as coordinated as this one had been.

One of the tributes over the next couple days tried jumping off the edge of the cliff to see if they could hit the water, but he died before even reaching the ground. Some of the massive birds circling the beach got him and that was the last anyone saw of the boy before the cameras switched to show the District 8 pair trekking through the humid wilderness, and then back to Kada and Zerviah, who had retreated to recuperate from the attack.

The next couple of days were fairly quiet, although three more tributes died at the hands of the District 2 pair, just leaving them, the District 8 pair, and the three girls from '5, '11, and '12. While Liam and Cecelia seemed fairly harmless other than a couple of kills earlier in the games, it was a time like this that they had spent the entire games waiting for. With the tribute pool so small, they finally attacked.

Liam was killed as he and his partner ambushed the three girls, but Cecelia wasted no time putting his poisons to use against them. While the girl from District 5 got away, the other two were not so fortunate and fell as Cecelia knifed them. Two cannons went off, but Cecelia was not finished. Instead, she followed the District 5 girl's trail for two straight days, where it was clear she was trying to find the careers for whatever reason.

She either found them or succumbed to her injuries, because on the evening of Day 13, her face appeared in the sky after a cannon fired. It was Cecelia against Zerviah and Kada, and while she knew the odds were against her, she wasn't fazed. She would remain as cold and ruthless as she needed to in order to survive. That evening she downed a bottle of whiskey before smashing the bottle on a rock. Tomorrow she was going to end these games.

True to her word, she managed to do exactly that. She successfully disarmed the District 2 pair's larger weapons, forcing them to get into very close quarters combat with Cecelia and her knives. They were used to larger weapons, but daggers and shuriken were not really their thing. By contrast, they were totally in Cecelia's ballpark thanks to her time back in District 8 and the time she spent in the training center, and as such, she managed to lacerate her two enemies enough to finally bleed them out and cause them to die as a result. Two cannons went off, and a bloodied Cecelia Sanchez stood over her opponents, alive and triumphant. Just like that, she became the 4th victor from District 8, and the 57th victor of the Hunger Games.

Despite her cold and ruthless approach in the Hunger Games, Cecelia had just done what she needed to in order to survive. She was fairly calm after the games had ended, and she settled down and had three children of her own later down the line, risks and associated dangers be damned. While they were not known for being the most formidable district, her victory reminded Panem that District 8's sinister reputation of passionate and dangerous rebels was one to be reckoned with, and while she knew that they'd have years where they produced mere bloodbath fodder, she also recognized that there would be plenty of tributes with potential—and she would capitalize on them whenever she spotted them.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)


	58. The 58th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _considering that this story is nearing completion (in regards to how many chapters I've written and not yet posted), I might post three chapters this week. No guarantees, but I'll see what happens. In the meantime, here's the next episode of The Victors' Chronicles as our thrilling adventure through the history of the Hunger Games continues._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 58th Annual Hunger Games**

While it was a known fact that the urban districts outside of Districts 3, 2, and 1 were often at a disadvantage in these outdoor death arenas that the Capitol called the Hunger Games, it was not entirely uncommon for victors to pop up from them despite that. Sure there were the occasional urban blight arenas or outdoor ruins, but even in the absence of anything like that, victors would still emerge from the outer or urban districts. Sometimes, tributes simply beat the odds, just as the victor the previous year had demonstrated.

For the 58th Annual Hunger Games, it seemed less clear who would be victor material and who would be cannon fodder. Ares Roth and Erin Kennedy were two of the volunteers who reached the stage, both of whom fit common District 2 stereotypes: Ares being a hulking young man with enough strength to snap a neck with minimal effort; and his partner Erin being a small conniving little thing that could eviscerate her enemies with lighter weapons using blinding speed.

Over in District 1, Octavia won herself a place as the female representative of her district, and was joined by a boy named Mortimer only minutes later. All four of them saw each other in the reruns of the reapings as their trains flew towards the Capitol, and almost all unanimously figured that they would make quite the alliance together.

Odin Zimmerman and Meili Meisha might not have seemed like much coming from District 6 and showing clear signs of drug use, but as long as they didn't have dependent addiction on whatever substance(s) they were taking, perhaps they stood a chance. In the training center, they actually found themselves being eyes by Zul and Varrick, the pair from District 11 as potential allies. Odin showed an uncanny talent with building things, and Meili seemed to know some of the secrets about bombs and grenades, a secret not seen in the 'games since District 12's Zefira Saratoga a decade prior.

Scores that year were fairly average all around, at least when the different standards each district was held to were taken into account. Districts 1 and 2 scored high and into the double digits; Districts 3, 4, and 5 had slightly lower scores than that; Meili, Odin, and the tributes from '7 and '8 scored right in the 6-8 range, District 9 and District 10 scored low, scores for the District 11 pair were nearly on par with those from '3 and '4, while District 12 scored about average that year. Of course, just like every year, the scores were just numbers that these days were mostly just for the Capitol to use for their betting games. For the tributes it meant who to watch out for or who to ally with. Discovering a tribute's weakness was just a matter of observation in the arena when the time came.

As the tributes rose to their pedestals, they got their first glimpse of the Cornucopia and the goods and supplies it contained. Weapons were commonplace this year as they nearly always were, and there were also several ropes. Sometime after the gong sounded, a girl from District 8 got strangled by Mortimer, but by the time that girl died, 6 other tributes were lying in pools of their own blood as the other tributes fought for weapons. After her death, two more tributes lost their lives, bringing the bloodbath total this year to 9.

Zul and Varrick met back up with Odin and Meili, all four of them armed with different weapons. Zul carried spears, Varrick had a bow, Odin had a broadsword, and Meili had found a pair of small square hammers that seemed built for speedy smash attacks rather than mighty blows. Confident in their abilities but remaining cautious, the tributes ventured out into the wilderness to see what the arena entailed and what sort of hazards they would need to watch out for.

There was a giant winding lake that looked like it had filled an enormous crack in the ground. The rest of the arena had some grizzly trees and red, sandy rocks that gave the place a very desert-esque feel. The blazing sun and deep blue skies contrasted the reds and browns of the land and it was clear that heat would be an issue.

A little scouting around also proved that the breezes, while they also felt cool against the searing desert heat, were dangerously strong, and gusts occasionally knocked tributes off their feet. There didn't seem to be many dangerous creatures, although Zul spied a few rather large lizards roaming some of the lower rocks from a vantage point, and the bright red ants that crawled across the ground in some areas were almost certainly not friendly.

A buzzing from the trees served as an ominous reminder about the dangers of tracker-jackers, and on day 3 alone they claimed the lived of two careless tributes, and over the next two days, Ares, Octavia, Erin, and Mortimer claimed the lives of three more. Odin and the pair from District 11 worked to get some logs or branches from some of the trees, using the ropes to tie them together to make a raft. Meili volunteered to test it out, and sailed off into the lake where she managed to craft a great deal of different explosives in peace, testing them against the rocks and cliffs. Some of them merely flashed to distract the enemies, while others produced smoke, and others actually produced explosions.

While her original intention had been to produce her explosives in peace and then come to her allies' aid, by the time she returned on day 8, they had been attacked in a massive raid by the careers that had left Varrick, Mortimer, Octavia, and Odin dead. Zul and Erin had both also sustained serious injuries, while only Ares had some out of that fight relatively unscathed.

The remaining 8 tributes, however, were about to face the same fear that beset the career pack that went against Zefira Saratoga a decade ago did. Armed with her grenades, she set out to take down any survivors. She climbed up onto some of the higher rocks, using her flash grenades to take out a few of the stragglers from District 3 and District 4 that had evaded the careers' line of sight, and then turned towards her former ally and two enemies to end the games.

Fortunately for her, she wound up seeing Zul's face in the sky the next evening, meaning Ares or Erin had gotten her, which in turn saved Meili the trouble. This time Ares had been somewhat wounded, but Erin had not managed to recover from her wounds of the previous encounter, and she eventually bled out despite her ally's best efforts to save her.

Ares met his own fate two nights later as he slept. Unbeknownst to him (probably due to Capitol Gamemakers trying to throw challenges his way) he slept beneath a hive of tracker-jackers. Meili, who still had three of her grenades, just had to lob one at the nest and make it fall.  
While for a moment it seemed the wasps would come for her, a smoke grenade the hovered above them in Meili's general direction had the aggressive tracker-jackers head for Ares instead, who got a rude and deadly awakening as he was stung to death. Like most victims of tracker-jacker venom in such high quantities, he was hardly recognizable by the time his cannon went off, and as the smoke from her grenade subsided, Meili stood triumphant on her rock overlooking the lake. She was the 5th victor from District 6, and the 58th victor of the Hunger Games.

Like most District 6 victors, Meili returned to her drug-abusing habits after winning her games, although in much lesser amounts than most of her predecessors. She remained very highly functional, and remained a proficient engineer and mechanic, both for Capitol vehicles and for her explosive devices. She was also highly desired by the Capitol, and became a bargaining chip for them like many before her had. She would later befriend the victor who came after her, and the two of them used their positions in the Capitol to their advantage, learning a great deal about the people that thought they were using the victors instead. There were always games beyond the Hunger Games, and now, Meili knew how to play them.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)


	59. The 59th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Sure enough, there is almost certainly going to be three chapters this week! My update schedule might be slightly erratic for the next 7-8 days, but I will do my best to keep on schedule. Anyhoo, with Cecelia's games done and gone, we are down to only 6 more victors before we reach the AU turning point. We're more than halfway done here, and so far the going is good._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 59th Annual Hunger Games**

After the kills and thrills of the previous year, Gamemakers in the Capitol were wondering if they could put more focus into treacheries of the arena to keep tributes on their toes. The last year's arena had been diverse, but most of the fighting took place in a few small areas even if most of the tributes actually managed to explore most of the arena. As such, the plans for the 59th Annual Hunger Games hoped to address this issue. Such was the nature of the Hunger Games: always striving to change and improve to keep the Capitol audiences entertained year after year.

Districts 1, 2, 3, and 5 all showed great potential this year, as did the District 11 pair once again. Gates Crenshaw and Nevada Cobble were a reminder of the quiet nefariousness that comprised District 5, while their promising allies, Akiyo Tenshi and Zhin Lyautey from District 3 were a bit more open about what they were going to do. While trap-building and weapon-crafting were all viable tactics to use in the game, combat skills of some level were almost always a necessity, especially in the later games as the Capitol upped its standards and increased the quality of the time spent in training, as well as the very facility that they used to train the tributes.

Whatever the case, there were at least a dozen of this year's tributes that were in fine form, including Gerome and Jade from District 1, who joined up with Orpheus and Zenzi from District 2 to form the annual careers, as was practically tradition. A few years it didn't happen, but this was not one of them.

Gerome surprised the crowds in the training arena by bringing out a perfect 12, while his partner Jade scored a 9. Orpheus took a 10, and Zenzi took another 9 as well. Gates and Nevada actually scared some of the outer tributes, who often fell victim to District 5's nefarious schemes, after Gates scored a 9 and Nevada scored an 11. Zhin and Akiyo scored a 7 and an 8, but considering that these two were actually rather attractive individuals from their district, there were sponsors lining up for them before the training scores had even emerged.

The tributes glanced around at the arena as they emerged from the catacombs and into the sunlight. It looked almost the same as the year before it, what with the azure, cloudless skies and the brown and red rocks and sand surrounding a fairly hot desert, but there was no lake in sight like there was last year. Instead, the cracks in the rocks were small streams and slot canyons, and 14 of the tributes were able to scour these ridges and canyons, leaving 10 dead tributes in their wake as the bloodbath subsided that morning. There were not really any noteworthy goods or items at the cornucopia this year: just the usual standard fare of weapons, supplies, backpacks, and food. Jade, Gerome, Orpheus and Zenzi took command of a majority of these supplies after the alliance from District 3 and District 5 took off into the canyons. The pair from District 11 also vanished, escaping from the bloodbath with a pair of daggers for each of them.

Akiyo received favorable sponsor gifts in one of the cool, sandy slot canyons where he and his partner made camp, while Zhin received some of the finest looking blades money could buy. This helped the pair from District 3 venture out and take down a few of the mutts that invaded these canyons: much larger reptilian creatures, and scorpions the size of a small child. It didn't take a genius to realize that one sting from them would probably be lethal. Two tributes learned this the hard way.

5 days passed with only one other death. Water was becoming scarce, and the careers were still wary of these narrow little slot canyons where they could so easily push rocks down, or flood with sand. However, they had most of the water the arena had to offer, trickling from fresh springs which in turn removed any need to filter or purify it.

The advantage of the slot canyons was that they were free from the mutts and monsters of the arena, which seemed to either fear venturing into them, or simply avoided them for reasons unknown to the tributes. The downside was that anything edible was above ground, and the rocky terrain was not always stable. A few falling rocks could kill a tribute if they were careless. Zhin actually did manage to loosen a rock and drop it on a tribute below her, the cannon firing almost immediately as the boulder made impact with the rocky ground, killing the tribute sandwiched between the two of them.

The tributes were spread out too far at first for much action to happen, and so the Capitol aimed to bring them together in the canyons. On day 7, they released heavy nauseating fog that drew lower and lower until it was hovering only a few inches above the rims of the canyons. Five more tributes died this way, including Orpheus, Jade, and Gates. The remaining two careers found Nevada before Akiyo and Zhin could, and the girl turned traitor to join the careers fairly quickly. The district 11 pair had died in the haze, and so the remaining five tributes were Gerome, Zenzi, Nevada, Zhin, and Akiyo.

The tributes explored the canyons for a couple more days to try and find one another, but one day as Akiyo was out exploring, Zhin scaled part of the wall to try and figure out what the rumbling noise was. She heard water flowing from inside one of the rocks, and wondered if there was a river nearby, or if it was in the rock. If she could break it, she could flood the other tributes out of the canyon, or at least force them (what she perceived as) downstream and into some of the traps she had built. She hoped for a sponsor gift, but went to work on chipping away at the wall with what she had.

Apparently there were a lot of Capitolites that wanted her to win, or maybe it was just chance caused by the Gamemakers, but whatever the case, the next morning the skies were grey, and it began to rain. The nature of the slot canyons caused them to flash flood, and Zhin fled to safety. She scampered back up her side of the wall, clinging to the stone as torrents of water rushed around her and down the cracks, nearly forcing her off the wall and into the now raging river below them. Luckily for her, the tools she used to latch onto the wall were of high quality thanks to her sponsors, and so she clung onto the wall for dear life as her ally Akiyo and her three enemies were washed away, eventually triggering Zhin's traps and scoring the girl the last four kills she needed to escape the arena alive. With their deaths, Zhin became the 6th victor from District 3, and the 59th victor of the Hunger Games.

Like the girl the year before, Zhin was a very beautiful and desirable tribute that became a Capitol favourite for many reasons, some more savory than others. She handled it coolly and calmly just like she did in the games, but was often left with a taste of discontentment just as she had been in the games. The throngs of sponsors made more sense to her now, but like her predecessor, she learned the ways of the Capitol games, and learned how to play. She dealt with her own demons and nightmares like every other victor did, but she was cool and patient, like a chessmaster making subtle moves before entering the final assault against the enemy. She learned that there were far more games that went on beyond the Hunger Games, and after emerging a victor from them, she learned not only how to play them well, but also how to emerge as a victor…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)


	60. The 60th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And here's year 60! We get to meet an old friend from some of my other fanfics, and I'm sure that the style of this tribute's speech will make them quite the memorable figure. Don't worry-not all victors are girls. I'm currently out of town as I post this and so updates might be a little sporadic, but I will do my best to post at least one more chapter on Monday and another on Wednesday, but no promises._  
_Till then, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 60th Annual Hunger Games**

A brief suspicion rose among the Capitol after the events of the previous games, and also from looking at the victor records. While the distribution was fairly equal, there was a slight edge among the female tributes, or so said the rumor, mostly founded on the notion that there were more female victors than male ones. While it was true that the Capitol generally looked towards the female tributes for their purposes, there were still plenty of male victors that were subjected to the same treatment.

While it was true that every now and again the Capitol Gamemakers nudged the odds in a tribute's favor or disfavor, most of the time they just let the cleverest tributes go at it. The boys tended to be slightly more reckless while the girls were usually more calculating, but in the grand scheme of the Hunger Games, the gender divide was still fairly equal when all was said and done.

As such these theories were dismissed by the time the 60th Annual Hunger Games rolled around, and the Gamemakers hoped that the tributes this year would help send the 6th decade of the games out with a bang. It was certainly not comparable to the legendary 5th decade, still referred to as "the Golden Age". Still, some of the tributes were certainly characters in their own rights, and Panem realized this the moment they saw the recaps starting at District 1.

A bubbly girl named Kuki Balthezar reached the stage as the female representative of District 1, and she was joined less than a minute later by a rather gigantic boy who had quirky written all over him. Even today his words were remembered because of the odd way he referred to himself and because of his slightly broken sentences. This Lucas Drazen would be memorable, if nothing else.

Of course, after District 1 people almost always watched to see what District 2 would produce from its seemingly endless pools of volunteers. Minutes later, Katara Clovis emerged from the throngs of brawling girls, and was then joined by Inigo Numex. Despite their goofy-looking partners, the pair from '2 still planned to align themselves with them unless their performance in the training center was lackluster enough to convince them to change their minds.

However, this seemed to not be the case at all. Kuki was a lighting-swift swordmaster, and Lucas was deceptively strong despite his goofy manner of speech and his hulkish physique that usually indicated a strong but stupid individual.

Sure enough, these career tributes all proved to be formidable individuals, with the pair from District 2 both scoring 11s. Kuki's performance earned her a 10, and whatever Lucas did in that room had earned him a perfect 12. He laughed and playfully reminded his District 2 comrades about their warning before the training week had started, and they stuck to their word and formed the alliance.

Lucas was also particularly memorable in his interview. That playful and friendly personality of his was no ruse it seemed, which made some people, tributes and Capitolites alike, wonder if he had it in him to be a ruthless killer.

"Do not be worrying…" he had announced during his interview, "Lucas will get 23 kills if he has to if it means win Hunger Games. Then we can make with the going to the home for celebration!" Luckily his sentences were not too broken to understand, and even Caesar Flickerman found them to be rather amusing. Lucas received a standing ovation after his interview. He would almost certainly be showered with sponsor gifts once they were in the arena.

The arena looked like something that would favor a District 6 victor as the tributes rose to the surface. The environment seemed fairly barren, except outside of the cornucopia clearing were dozens of old vehicles, as well as a few old railways with derelict trains and engines on them. None of them looked functional, but it also caused a lot of tributes to decide to seek shelter and see if there was anything salvageable to be taken from these old machines.

Because of this mindset that a lot of the tributes adopted, only 7 tributes died in the bloodbath, most of whom were slain by the careers. Despite his friendly personality, Lucas has no trouble proving that he was a dangerous killer, seizing a large battleaxe and using it to cleave anyone who stood in his way. There weren't very many supplies at the cornucopia that weren't weapons, and so it was clear that the Capitol wanted the tributes to explore the arena to find food or water.

Lucas volunteered to scout out the arena, not necessarily holding an alliance to his comrades, but still hoping to bring them to the final four so they could do what careers often did and fight it out amongst themselves. There was a reason they had that reputation after all.

Much to his excitement, Lucas found a handcar among a deserted set of tracks. Jumping on, he used his immense strength and stamina to let himself glide rather swiftly across the rails. While the automatic or fuelled machinery was long since out of commission, all it took to power a handcar was the one(s) riding it, and thus Lucas earned himself a ride through much of the arena.

There was not much to report, although a few boxcars caused Lucas to slow down and take a look. A boy from District 10 who had survived the bloodbath tried to ambush him, but one swing from Lucas' battleaxe almost literally cut the would-be ambusher in two. He made camp in one of the boxcars for the evening, finding a slew of food and water that was basically untouched. That at least explained why the boy had been hiding out here. He would remember this location to tell his allies the following day.

The tributes were not the only ones that roamed this arena, however, nor was Lucas the only one who found and operated a handcar. While the next four days were devoid of any deaths apart from a single girl who died from tainted food, the Gamemakers spiced it up with some rarely used monsters that they saved for arenas like this.

These creatures were red-eyed, grey-skinned creatures that had first formally debuted about 15 years prior, but were even cleverer now than they were back then. These humanoid mutts roamed the arena like feral creatures, and came after tributes with weapons drawn. To make matters worse, some of them located handcars and knew how to operate them.

With these "Night Witches" on the prowl, the careers had to step up their game. In some cases, (such as the three that cornered Katara) these creatures were almost like additional tributes with how well they fought. Katara resorted to savagery just to keep herself from being eviscerated by these creatures' razor-sharp claws. Blood from these monsters stained the ground in multiple places, and while these attacks spurred tributes into action, they only claimed two other lives. While they were not able to actually control them, a pair from District 11 managed to get some of the creatures to follow them (albeit aggressively), leading them right through a camp of District 3 and District 4 tributes one evening and the creatures caught the tributes off guard, killing all four in their sleep. With a fistbump, the two of them disappeared into the trains, scaling a boxcar and moving by jumping from car to motionless car.

Despite this rather intriguing little trick (which would actually inspire a few District 11 tributes down the road), the pair wound up falling on Day 14 to Lucas and Inigo after Katara ambushed them. With them out of the way, only a few Night Witches remained apart from the four careers, and since the Night Witches did not need to be slain for the games to end, the careers worried about each other instead, deciding to resolve this final conflict on the 15th morning.

"Hmm," Lucas was the one to speak up, "It is just careers now, yes? Now we make with the battling until one of us is dead, yes? Then we have victor!"  
"That sounds good enough to me," Kuki licked her lips. "To the death we fight!"  
"…" Neither Inigo nor Katara had anything to say to this apart from a nod in agreement. The three of them suddenly turned towards Lucas, drawing their weapons.

"Oy! Three on one is not very good odds for Lucas! Luckily Lucas not afraid." He brandished his battleaxe. "LUCAS SMASH!"

And smash was exactly what Lucas did. Instead of using the sharp end of the axe, he swung it sideways, bludgeoning Inigo first, striking the boy so hard that he did not get back up. A cannon fired, and the two girls suddenly became more aggressive against Lucas, realizing that he was by far the biggest threat. Unfortunately for Kuki, she was the next victim of Lucas' might, receiving the sharp end of Lucas' axe rather than the blunt sides. This did not faze Katara, but she knew that she had to step up her game.

She landed a few hits on him, but the boy was so strong that he was able to shrug off most of her hits even as Katara began stringing attacks together. He swung his axe with one hand, and kept his other hand free. Katara dodged the axe and rolled forward, getting right up in right up in Lucas' face. He responded by swinging his free arm so powerfully that when it collided with Katara's jaw. The bone shattered, and the girl staggered back, spitting blood. She threw herself at Lucas, plunging her daggers deeply into his chest. Lucas bellowed out in pain before throwing his axe down, seizing the girl who was crawling over him and twisting her daggers, before wrenching her off of him. Gripping her by her sides just above her hips, he put all of his force into slamming the girl down so fiercely on her back that when she struck the railroad tie that Lucas aimed for her back shattered, severing one of her central nerves. Naturally Katara's body could not survive such a powerful impact, and she died immediately. As her cannon rang out, Lucas became the 10th victor from District 1, and the 60th victor of the Hunger Games.

The hovercrafts raced for the boy after his victory considering that Katara's daggers were still embedded in his chest and he was bleeding out, but he eventually made a full recovery.  
Despite his brutal violence in the games, Lucas remained a very friendly and approachable man who even his tributes got along very well with. He even had the pleasure of bringing home a pair of victors back-to-back not more than 3 years after his own victory, solidifying his reputation as a strong and friendly man, but also as a cunning and competent mentor. Even outside of District 1, Lucas Drazen's goofy but approachable personality coupled with his simplistic view on life made him a very popular individual in Panem—and he was quite okay with that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)


	61. The 61st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I'm still not home yet, but I've still managed to get another chapter up. Here we get to learn about another victor with pretty prominent leadership skills as we draw closer to Enobaria, Cashmere, &amp; Gloss. We also get to see this character in "The 100th Annual Hunger Games, so there's also that to keep in mind. Otherwise, I'm not really able to do much writing due to my lack of access to my main computer, but my other stories will all resume around Thursday or Friday when I return home._  
_Until then... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 61st Annual Hunger Games**

While the 5th decade of the Hunger Games was popularly considered the Golden Age, the 7th decade was sometimes considered this by the careers for the slew of career tribute victories that went down this year. Plenty of them were from District 1 or District 2, but since nowadays the definition of "career tribute" entailed anyone who was worthy to join the career tribute alliance, not all of the victors were from the career districts.

The 61st Annual Hunger Games saw Vance Auburn and Kara Petersen from District 7 joining the careers. Anyone that volunteered was usually considered, even if they were from poor, rebellious districts like District 11 or District 12. Both of them volunteered, although their reasons for doing so were never exactly made clear. Volunteers from districts outside of '1 and '2 were rare, but that didn't necessarily assure them a victory either.

Whatever the case, Reuben Silversmith and Vivian Lazuli from District 1 welcomed the District 7 pair into the alliance just as the pair from District 2 did. This Roku Ogawa and Zenzi Zakau were stronger than their District 1 counterparts unlike the previous year, but they still rescinded "leadership" of the career pack to Vivian and Reuben regardless.

Also unlike last year, however, they were met with formidable opposition. District 12 produced another dangerous pair of "Painted Tributes" who promptly recruited the pair from Districts 9, 8, and 11, forming an alliance larger than the career pack. This was going to be another "faction war" Hunger Games. This was also alarming because similar to how District 3 was sometimes strong enough to keep up with the powerful careers, occasionally District 11 had tributes from the more dangerous parts of the district, and this was one of those years. Both of them were 'painted' similar to the way the District 12 pair were, and had similar fierce and dangerous behavior in the training center as well.

Training scores proved the careers' fears to be true in this regard. While the pairs from Districts 1 and 2 scored 10s and 11s, two of the children from the other alliance (the girl from '11 and the boy from '12) scored 12s. Their partners scored 11s, the District 8 pair scored 9s, and both kids from District 9 broke free from the mold of being cannon fodder, both scoring 10s. This would be an intriguing bloodbath to say the least. All of these high scores meant trouble on all sides.

The arena also spelled trouble as the tributes cast their eyes on it for the first time. The 60-second countdown began and the tributes all glanced around. In contrast to some of the earlier arenas, this one was a lush, green jungle full of goodness-knows-what. There would be traps and sabotage galore for sure, and the career pack knew it.

Luckily for them, there were ample supplies at the cornucopia besides just weapons, but it seemed that the outer district alliance wasn't out for kills or for the careers just yet. Instead, when the gong sounded, they grabbed supplies and fought off a few other tributes as the six career tributes fought for control of the cornucopia, grabbing some of the ample weapons to protect their claims.

The ten deaths from the bloodbath were all cleanly across district lines. The tributes from Districts 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10 were the casualties this year, meaning the faction war had begun between the two groups: The career pack comprising of District 1, District 2, and District 7; and the outlying alliance of Districts 8, 9, and 11, led by the painted tributes of District 12.

Sabotage was definitely an integral part of whatever this sinister arena contained. Hardly two nights in, the careers were woken by a vicious rumble that annihilated their supplies. It was Kara who kept the pack from plunging into chaos as she tried to regain control of the situation.

"Don't panic," she warned, "we've got this. If we run off in fear they'll think we're scared. Regroup into the cornucopia. Any projectiles that come our way will hit us only if we're careless. Otherwise we can help split them or deflect them. Watch the directions."  
"It's pretty hard to track where these attacks are coming from in the dark," Reuben reasoned, and he had a point. The outlying tributes were cunning in the dark and they were using it to their advantage.

"Doesn't mean we can't track their attacks," Kara warned, "and hell if I'm going to let this alliance fall on the 2nd night to those savages."

Kara's leadership skills preserved the career pack, even if she was an "outsider" being from District 7. The attacks ceased that night, but it forced the careers to venture into the jungle to find food and water, which was exactly what their enemies hoped they would do.

"Stay wary," Kara warned, "we're in their territory, and this foliage is thick as hell. If you see any thinner patches of brush or growth, stop and we'll test it for traps."  
"Who's we?" Roku frowned, "I do not exactly have the skill of detecting traps."  
"He's kind of right," Zenzi agreed, "We're designed for combat rather than subtlety."

"If you see something suspicious, just tell me," Kara told the others, "I'll test it for traps."  
"You're not about to backstab us, are you?" Vance tilted his head.

"Not while there are eight tributes that definitely want my blood and will probably drink it or use it to paint their faces," Kara shook her head, "seriously, guys. If you're skeptical about following me just because I'm younger than you and an outsider, feel free to kill me now—but if you do, you're just giving more power to '8, '9, '11, and '12."

This was enough to shut the egotistical careers up.

Over the next three days, Kara disarmed eight traps, but the trail for the elusive alliance was still cold. Vance, Roku, Zenzi, Reuben, and Vivian all followed Kara, but it seemed the eight tributes they were pursuing had spread out so far that they had taken control of the arena by rigging it up with traps and poisons of all kinds. It was only after Reuben got killed by falling face-first into a hidden field of punji sticks that the careers knew their strategy needed to change.

"It's war now," Kara cracked her knuckles. "We make camp and we'll bring them to us."  
She fashioned herself a dart gun and after a little scouting around, her partner Vance came back with a large sack of berries and a wicked smirk.

"Nightlock," he warned, "paint your weapons with some of this and the poison will do in whoever's sorry enough to get in your way."  
"Perfect." Kara smirked, "boys and girls, you know what do to."

The girl from District 9 was the first victim, and unbeknownst to the remaining tributes from District 8 and District 9, the tributes from District 11 and District 12 were using these other tributes as scouts for a reason. Thus, when the girl's injured partner staggered back, they mentally noted his information, congratulated him and gave him some of their extra supplies as a reward.  
The next day, they sent the same tributes out again to track the careers' movements. The tributes from District 8 managed to find the careers and attack, taking down Vance. However, Roku and Zenzi managed to take down both of them, as well as the boy from District 9, which in turn forced Districts 11 and 12 to make a move.

It was a battle of poisons that lasted another week. Blows were exchanged, but the careers abandoned their original methods and went in with poisons, grenades, sabotage, and subterfuge, turning the games into a guerilla warfare style death match. The boy from District 12 fell first, followed by the girl from District 11, who took Roku down with her. The higher-scoring tributes were out of the way, and Kara continued leading the career pack like chessmen. Vivian was killed the day after Roku, and Kara retaliated by taking down the girl from District 12.  
As Zenzi took her final breaths, it became clear who the real chessmaster of this year's games was. Kara Petersen plunged a pair of poisoned knives into the District 11 girl's vitals, killing her almost immediately due to Nightlock's immediate effects, and as she died, Kara stood triumphant, becoming the 5th victor from District 7, and the 61st victor of the Hunger Games.

The leadership skills Kara demonstrated in the arena (for the other careers were far from stupid) made her dangerous to the Capitol. If she could lead diverse people against a common enemy, then she could possibly lead a revolution. Close tabs were kept on her, but ultimately nothing became of it over the next several years. Al they were able to learn about her was that she enjoyed fashion design and wood carving, even going as far as carving her own mannequins that she used to sample her creations. After all, being from District 7 meant Kara was an expert with woodwork, and she appeared clever enough to not set a foot out of line. Either Kara Petersen was not a revolutionary, or she was simply biding her time, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. After all, discontent still ran rampant among the districts, especially the victors, whose lives had been fundamentally transformed by the games, with Kara as no exception. While they laid low and acted complacent for now, that would not always be the case…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)


	62. The 62nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _and here's Enobaria, as we reach the point where we get four canon victors in a row. Similar to some of my other 'major' chapters, I've had this one written for a while, and looking at it as I post it, I'm still pretty content with what I've got. Sometimes the name game is hard, resulting in very few named tributes. Other times it feels a bit more natural, and we get more. A few, such as the upcoming chapters that are based on some of my full-length fanfics (74, 75, 91, 92, 93, etc) will be this way, and so will contain a lot of details and a lot of names. However, like I mentioned somewhere in the wall of text that is my Chapter 1 Author Notes, if a certain chapter or chapters are well received enough, I very well might put them on the queue to eventually make full-length stories of somewhere in the future. Also, I head home later today/tonight, and so after that my posting schedule will hopefully resume and go from there. This story might continue to get 3 updates a week if I can get '63 and '64 done in the next couple days, even._  
_But, I've rambled enough. Here's our friend Enobaria, even if her name doesn't show up for a bit._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 62nd Annual Hunger Games**

With the events of the previous year still on their minds, the Capitol's trend of keeping things fresh of course had to continue. This decade might not have been the "Golden Age" of Hunger Games the way the 5th decade had been, but even then, the games had failed to disappoint thus far, and that was a trend that the new Gamemakers intended to continue. No one wanted to be known as the one that ruined the Hunger Games—not among Capitol citizens, at least. As such, the idea of ensuring that the 62nd Annual Hunger Games was a thriller would be a promise they kept.

Intrigue and betrayal were going to almost certainly be a thing and a theme this year, as rocky relationships between the tributes from District 1 and District 2 formed during training. Typical to the haughty children of these districts, all of whom were volunteers as usual, there was ego-tripping going on, with Cristoff Burns and Jewel Clearmont of District 1 thinking that they should call the shots and lead the career pack. From District 2, Marius Belen argued his stance, while his partner glared menacingly at them from behind Marius, as if daring them to try something. All the while, Gadge Lafayette and Ratchet Elwood, a pair of volunteers from District 3, watched on after taking a neutral stance.

While they bickered, the girl from District 2 actually made her way over to the District 11 pair, Morton Shaw and Laurel Fulton. Naturally they were wary of her, but she clarified her intentions right away.

"Alliances aren't set yet," she pointed out, "and if these idiots keep bickering I swear to Snow I'm gonna cut their throats in the bloodbath."

"That's enough for us," Zircon Westover from District 12 called out, introducing the District 2 girl to herself and her partner, Grant Parsons. Over the next couple of days she got to know Grant, Zircon, Morton, and Laurel all fairly well, and they all scoped out the training center for any other promising tributes. Unfortunately it seemed that this was going to be another battle between Districts 1, 2, 3, 11, and 12, which many of them were these days. This proved to be true at the end of the week when training scores were provided. No one outside of these five districts apart from a District 7 boy scored higher than an 8, and no one in those districts except the Zircon from '12 (who scored a 7) scored less than a 9. Either way, ten powerful tributes could still take the games a long way, even with such a formidable career alliance.

However, once they got into the arena, it was clear that things were not going to go as planned for the careers. While Marius did rescind his leadership position to Cristoff, the career pack was only going to be half as large as they thought it would be. Marius, Jewel, and Cristoff were the only ones who lingered around the cornucopia, while Gadge and Ratchet (their friends from District 3), took off with Marius' partner, Enobaria Taos. Before they were out of sight though, Enobaria split from the other two, making it unclear where her loyalties lay. She scored a few kills in the bloodbath, and contributed two of the 10 kills that happened that morning.

The gimmick of this arena was that it wasn't really morning. It was another night arena, except unlike many of the other arenas that the Gamemakers shrouded in darkness, this one was lit up by an absolutely breathtaking, dazzling night sky, which cast elegant colors of purple and blue out over the tributes. As such as it was much brighter than most of the other dark arenas, giving an oddly serene dim light to the place. A bright (most likely perpetually) full moon also shone out form the millions of visible stars, making it rather serene and beautiful to behold.

It didn't stop Enobaria from prowling around on her hunt for tributes. The trio of careers was also on the lookout for others. Enobaria was at a disadvantage by the fact that she had bolted form the cornucopia with nothing more than the clothes on her back, a knife, and a bottle of whiskey she had received as a sponsor gift. The fact that she had managed to kill two tributes with her own speed and brute strength, had impressed people in the Capitol enough already that they did not hesitate to give her a fast but powerful weapon. Her scant supplies didn't stop her from using some of the trees to her advantage. She also managed to impress people that evening by downing the entire whiskey bottle without stopping until it was empty. Smirking, she wiped her mouth and threw the bottle against the nearest rock. With that out of the way, it was time for her to get to work. Crafting spears and other traps, she began hunting. The woods she found herself in were chock full of games, and after a bit more wandering, the woods receded into a rocky valley with a large flowing river. It was a relaxing site, and very easy on the eyes. Enobaria elected to make this place her camp for the evening. Days passed and the tribute pool was thinned. Enobaria joined up with Gadge and Ratchet to betray the alliance from '11 and '12, and the trio slew all four of them over the course of days 6, 7, and 8. The other three careers also offed another few tributes, and so by the time day 9 rolled around, there were only 7 of them left: all from Districts 1, 2, 3, and a girl from District 5 who Marius killed the following evening.

Enobaria's kill count was about to get much higher though. Her alliance with Gadge and Ratchet was already shaky, but she was unfazed by this, and continued hunting as she normally did. Not exactly being one for social pleasantries, especially not in a death arena, she ate rather savagely and sometimes even a bit messily, almost to the point where the pair from '3 nearly thought she was a cannibal or something (even if she was not). Thrown off by the discomforting way that Enobaria ate her meat raw from the prey she captured, this ultimately caused the District 3 pair to go their own separate split was mutually accepted, and the three parted on relatively amiable terms and without violence. Enobaria didn't mind being alone for a few days, although was surprised when her comrades from the career pack found her, and even more surprised when they didn't try to kill her.

"Seems we were wrong about you, En." Marius offered his hand. "want to take out that District 3 couple before we turn on one another in the final battle?"

"I've got nothing better going on," Enobaria shrugged, "let's do it." They had been the ones to suggest splitting up. Once they had gone their own way, Enobaria did not care about previous alliances. They were her enemies and she would take them down as such.

And thus, that was exactly what they did. Enobaria kept her promise, turning on the District 3 pair and helping injure Ratchet enough to allow Jewel the final blow. Cristoff was about to take down Gadge but Marius intercepted the kill at the last minute, scoring it for himself. At this point, that only left 4 tributes, all standing in the same general area within 10 feet of each other.

"By District?" Marius raised an eyebrow. Enobaria nodded in agreement, swiftly eliciting nods from the District 1 pair. Despite his clamouring for a leadership position, Cristoff didn't last more than a few seconds against Marius, and while Jewel and Enobaria fought a little longer (with Marius standing on the sidelines hoping the winner would be a bit worn down to enable himself an easier victory), the District 2 girl managed to overpower her and do her in.

At this point, Marius didn't even wait for Enobaria to get back onto her feet, and he tackled her to the ground, knocking her weapon out of her hands. Pinning his partner, Marius began grappling with her and trying to slam her head against the rocks to crack her skull open. Enobaria's vision grew shaky from the trauma being applied to her head, but she managed to pull Marius in and execute one of the most legendary kills in Hunger Games history—which would persist as such for decades after.

Seizing Marius by his head, she brought his throat to her face and sunk her teeth into his skin, biting down so savagely that his scream was already muffled with the sound of blood. She ripped into the muscles the same way she had with the meat and game she had hunted over the last two weeks, before pushing his head back, and essentially tearing Marius' throat out. Naturally, the boy didn't survive that attack, and was killed instantly. A cannon fired to signal his death, and Enobaria shoved his corpse off of her form and shakily rose to her feet, still horribly dizzy from the near-concussion she had just received. She was covered in blood, some of it her own and a lot of it from Marius' body, but she was alive, and she had won. Just like that, Enobaria had become the 11th victor from District 2, and the 62nd victor of the games overall.

Despite nearly turning into a cannibal (she had spit out the chunk of Marius' flesh that she had ripped from his neck), Enobaria had no real trouble eating meat. If anything, she enjoyed it even more from her time in the arena. Since she had volunteered, she was not terribly traumatized by it, having a good idea what to expect, but she still did not really socialize much, and remained by herself with her carnivorous diet. One thing was certain though: she'd make a great mentor, and would help District 2 to produce some vicious and ruthless tributes in the future…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)


	63. The 63rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _A day and an hour late, I know! For some reason, I was able to write Cashmere's chapter before this one, but after I finished that, I was able to go back and write this one with ease. So, hopefully you can forgive my slight delay on this chapter. Considering how many other chapters I have written after this one, there shouldn't be any more delays from here on out, and so my 3-chapters-a-week schedule can continue._  
_In the meantime... Gloss! He's one of the four canon victors that won back to back, so we've got two more after him, and Enobaria before. I added a bit more characterization to them, and their surnames match that of an earlier District 1 victor named Aurum (you can read her tale in chapter 47). She wasted no time having children after she won the games, but Cashmere and Gloss are both strong enough that their young ages of victory shouldn't deter anyone. So... that said, here's Gloss's tale. Normally I don't spoil who wins like this, but with canon characters (at least until the AU parts), we know they'll win, so yeah._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 63rd Annual Hunger Games**

After the rather gruesome exchange that had happened the previous year, the Capitol, the victors, and even the potential tributes were all once again reminded that there were no real rules in the 'games once the gong had sounded. Technically there was no rule against stepping off of the pedestals before the countdown either; just that the consequences for doing so were explosive and bloody, considering that any tribute who dared make this colossal blunder was detonated by the mines that sat waiting to explode on anyone foolish enough to try. Luckily they had never malfunctioned, and so would always deactivate after the gong sounded to begin the games.

The 63rd Annual Hunger Games was setting up to be as intense as the others with more promising career tributes raring to join the ranks of their peers. If District 1 could clinch this one, they would be tied with their comrades from District 2 in total numbers of victories, and considering the egos of not only the tributes and potential tributes, but also of most of the district as a whole, this was exactly something they hoped to do. Perhaps this year they would succeed as well.

Shannon Williams was a beautiful sight both because of how attractive she was, and also because of how swift and strong she appeared to be. Her partner, 16-year-old Gloss Zianja, was equally promising, especially considering that he was the son of victor Aurum Zianja. Perhaps it was tributes like him that gave rise to the belief that children of victors were chosen more often, but if this was true, Gloss was not really applicable considering that he, like every other tribute from District 1 in the last 50-60 years, had volunteered for the games.

As always, they were joined by Jack Riley and Karissa Oakland from District 2, who were willing to create yet another alliance so they could sweep the arena and take out the other tributes in the hopes of being able to settle the scores between each other at the end of it all. While he didn't say anything, Gloss was less interested in that and more interested on how he could win. One did not have to be "honourable" to win the games, and so if Gloss could get an edge in the games by backstabbing them (metaphorically or literally) at the right opportune moment, he'd take that chance if he saw it.

This year, Derek and Lydia from District 5 were the primary contenders for people wanting to join the career alliance. Not to say that there was a limit on the size of it (there had been at least one year where there were 8 or 9 in this "career tribute alliance"), but the other tributes, even the ones from District 3 and District 4, just didn't match up this year.

Like his mother before him, Gloss scored a 12, and so did Karissa. Jack and Shannon scored 11s, and an 11 was still an extremely good score. The boy and girl from District 5 scored a 10 and a 9 respectively, and everyone else apart from a District 11 boy and a District 7 girl scored 8 or below. The boy scored a 10, and the girl took a 9. Eyes were on the high-scoring District 1 pair as they entered the arena, unaware of what awaited them until they arrived…

The arena this year reeked of a certain humidity, and the greenery around them warned that it was not likely just the tributes hallucinating. Instead, many of them looked to the cornucopia, with its mouth overflowing with food, weapons, and ample supplies. This was going to be a good year to claim the golden horn for the career pack.

The gong sounded, and the six-strong career alliance raced in, slaughtering anything or anyone that stood in their way. Ultimately, 9 tributes died in the bloodbath, and the surviving tributes noticed that most of the weapons here were hatchets or machetes. Perhaps that District 7 girl from earlier would be a prominent threat this year.

The arena was not necessarily a jungle, but there were dense bushes that created almost something of a maze, and some of the plants were taller than the tributes' heads. There were also bugs everywhere, which was the primary thing that kept the tributes from stripping down. The Capitol almost seemed to expect that one would be foolish enough to try it, but no one did, and thus day 1 ended in silence as the tributes spent the rest of the day exploring and settling down. Day 2 was no different, although Lydia scored a kill on day 3 as they were exploring.

Day 4 was fairly miserable, as it seemed the bugs buzzing all through the arena were becoming something of a menace.

"We've got a repellant made from some of these plants," Derek alerted them, "but it's only good for a few hours at a time and it's not too easy to make."  
"Where's District 3 when you need smarts?" Jack frowned.

"Maybe you should have recruited them instead of trying to kill them," Lydia quipped, "If we're that bad of allies, we're not afraid to fight or go our own ways." District 3 was still out there, but it was not clear how long they would last with only middling scores and minimal melee combat skills.  
"Hey," Gloss was the one to try and shift the discussion back on track, "let's worry less about the whole splitting up nonsense and more about how to deal with these damned bugs."

"So any suggestions?" Shannon groaned, "They're totally messing up my hair—among other things that I really don't want to mention in public."

Both tributes from District 2 snickered. Jack suggested they try to find water, since lighting a fire wouldn't be possible with everything being so humid. Karissa backed the idea stating that she highly doubted that the bugs were aquatic as well.

"Well does anyone know where a river is?" Lydia tilted her head, "or better yet, a lake?"

"There's got to be water somewhere…" Karissa frowned, "unless we can just drink the air."

She was not too far off the mark considering how humid it was. Still, they hacked and bushwhacked their way through the jungle before stumbling upon a tribute's camp. Instead of raiding it right away, Gloss stopped them.

"Someone's going to come back." He whispered, "We can kill them then, but only after learning what direction he's coming from."

"How do you figure?" Shannon tilted her head.

"I can see his logic actually, Derek backed Gloss up, "Based on these supplies, I'd say he's got water—but it looks like he's run out, and so he's probably out getting more. So… whatever direction he's coming from when he comes back here is probably the direction we should go to find the water. Let's all find different hiding spots around camp so we can take him down."

It turned out to be two tributes, a boy and girl, both from District 4. Gloss took down the girl with a well-placed dagger, while Jack sprung onto the boy with his hatchet and took him down in one swing. They had come from the northwest, and so the careers raided the camp and then followed their footsteps back in the direction the District 4 pair had come. Sure enough, they found water. Furthermore, there was an abundance of the plants the District 5 pair had used to make their bug repellant, and so all in all it was a win-win that afternoon.

The games wore on, and two more deaths later, the careers suffered a rather nasty ambush on Day 7. The girl from District 7 and the boy from District 11 had formed an alliance and ambushed the careers, killing Shannon, Derek, and Jack; and injuring everyone but Gloss. He helped claim the lives of these two rouges, but as they lay down for the evening to recover and recuperate, Gloss started thinking about leaving what was left of his alliance. He decided to take his chances, and so fled on foot shortly before sunrise. He stumbled upon the District 3 pair's camp, and caught them off guard which enabled him to swing his machete a few times to strike them both down. Their cannons woke up the arena, and the games continued anew.

Further analysis of this camp indicated just how lucky Gloss had been. He had taken the one entrance to this arena that was not rigged up with a trap, and with the supplies and weapons he had, he decided to use this to his advantage. He constructed a trap in front of the last "clear space" surrounding the camp and then waited. He lit a fire and made no efforts to be stealthy, although also didn't try to overtly draw attention to himself. He knew that his fellow careers and former allies would try to find him and make him pay for this betrayal, but he justified his actions saying that they would have done the same if they had thought of it first.

While he waited for Lydia and Karissa to find him, two days passed and the District 3 pair were both killed on these two days. Three tributes remained: Gloss, Lydia, and Karissa.

Luckily for Gloss, the Capitol didn't try to collapse the arena to draw him in, and so instead he waited, and finally they arrived.

"So you abandon us to come live in the lap of luxury?" Karissa scoffed upon seeing Gloss' hijacked camp in the distance.

"I did what I had to do," Gloss shrugged, "there's only one winner in the games, and frankly, I'd rather let someone else kill you than have to do it myself." He was not really boasting as much as just speaking his mind. He was not an aggressive or egotistical fellow as much as just being cool and polite. This attitude had earned him a few sponsor gifts as well, so it clearly worked.

"But…" he got up, drawing his machetes, "I suppose we should end this…" he approached the fringes of his camp, only for the two girls to do the same. They triggered the traps, which peppered them with poisonous darts and killed them instantly. One satisfied smirk later, and Gloss sheathed his weapons, becoming the 11th victor from District 1, and the 63rd victor of the Hunger Games.

District 1 was now tied with District 2 for the most victors, and Aurum was rather proud that one of her two children had scored perfectly and then won the games—just as she had 16 years ago. Perhaps her other child, who was only a year younger, would participate in the games next year. She'd wait and see.

Gloss lived a content victor's life. His good looks and charming personality led the Capitol to take advantage of him the way they did with some of the prettier victors, but it was what it was. His mother had been a victim of this (although he and his sister were from the same father), and so the Zianjas kind of just accepted it. He was more pleased by the fact that he had followed in his mother's footsteps, and now he too would mentor new tributes and hopefully continue leading District 1 down its glorious path to victory again and again…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)


	64. The 64th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This one is on time since I actually wrote it before the previous chapter. Like her brother, Cashmere is described as "polite but cool", which made her really easy to write for. Some things seem to run in the family, not only between brother and sister, but also their mother Aurum (47th Hunger Games). I actually like these two enough that I might queue up full-length stories for them in the distant future, but for now don't hold your breath. In the meantime, here's Cashmere's tale as we delve into the third of the four-in-a-row canon victors._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 64th Annual Hunger Games**

With the streak of career tribute victories growing larger, the other districts began worrying about whether or not the careers were growing too strong. Surely at this point the Capitol realized what was happening, but it was obviously given them a good enough show that none of them really cared to do much about it. Not all the districts could afford to build such centers, and since most tributes lacked any kind of enthusiasm for the games that would most likely claim their lives, it was also impractical.

Either way, by the time the 64th Annual Hunger Games rolled around, there was a certain sense of camaraderie among most of the districts against the careers, particularly among Districts 6-12. District 3 produced more volunteers in the recent years to try and join the stronger tributes, and Districts 4 and 5 were similar in that regard.

A lot of eyes were on District 1 again, especially after Aurum's son Gloss managed to win the games the previous year. Now, they were watching Angelo Tadashi join Aurum's 2nd child, now 16-year-old Cashmere Zianja, as the volunteers for District 1. They were later joined by Cornelius Hawkes and Isolda Fuhrman from District 2, and even Blitz and Jocelyn from District 3 got in on the career alliance. Like the last few years, it was going to be a promising career pack.

Much like her brother, Cashmere scored a 12. However, Angelo managed to do the same, and the District 2 pair scored 11s. The pair from District 3 scored 10s almost comically, although District 4 broke the trends by scoring an 8 and a 10 instead of 9s. The others scored around average except for a rather prominent District 11 girl. Short and stocky, built like a dwarf from fantasy literature crossed with a brick house, she let a few of the tributes including the careers take shots at her. None of their punches even made her flinch. Unsurprisingly, her training score was 12, although no one was quite sure what her weapons of choice were until the games started.

Unbeknownst to her alliance, Cashmere actually encountered the girl on the rooftop of the Tribute Tower the night before the games started. The District 11 girl intrigued her, and she found herself drawn to her and wanting to learn more of who she was.

"Cassandra," she called the girl's name out, but the large, dreadlocked girl in the blazing green dress didn't even twitch.

"Cassandra Vine…" she used the girl's full name this time, stepping up to the point where she was right in the girl's personal space.

"Speak, '1." She grunted. Her voice was lower than Cashmere expected.

"You in an alliance at all?" It was hard not to notice the girl in training, especially since she was almost always on her own.

"Everyone was either a career or scared shitless of me," Cassandra explained, "so no."

"Well, I've got an offer for you if you're interested…"  
"I'm not joining the rest of those rodeo clowns you call friends," Cassandra asserted right away.

"just me and you then;" she asserted, "I'll keep my tabs on the other careers to keep them from attacking you, and perhaps even give the right timing for when we should take them down."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes. "I'm watching you if you try to pull a fast one on me." She warned.

While it was clear that Cassandra was strong, the cornucopia bloodbath also proved that she was smarter than she looked. She aimed for the weak points, using her bare fists to disable tributes before drawing a sword and cutting them down. 3 of the 10 arena deaths were at her hand, and as she disappeared into the wilderness, the other careers regrouped, a bit skeptical on that girl.

"We've got too much of the arena to explore before we go blindly charging in," Blitz advised, "let's rest here, take advantage of the supplies the Capitol left us, and stay wary. We can move out tomorrow after we do a bit of scouting."  
The cornucopia did hold ample supplies this year, much like the previous one. The arena, however, was cool and mountainous, with rocky canyons and valleys in every direction, and only a few trees and bits of vegetation. Cashmere figured her friend Cassandra would live off the land in some form or another, and so was not overly worried about her.

Angelo took the helm of the career pack over the next few days as they led raids. Days 2 and 3 didn't see any deaths, although they were hot on the trail of some tribute whose camp they had plundered. They found him a day later, and Cornelius took him out with a well-thrown knife.

The landscape was treacherous, and the canyons even more so. The rocks that made up the mountains and valleys were not very stable, and so they cracked and collapsed easily. A few tributes spotted caves, but most of them avoided these without question. If the rocks collapsed this easily, venturing into a cave was practically suicidal.

Two more tributes died in a slot canyon after another tribute (revealed to Panem to be Cassandra) collapsed one of the walls in on them, and it was clear that these rocks were going to be vital in ending the major alliances.

Incidentally, it only took one more death and three more days for Cashmere to meet back up with Cassandra to lay their plan into place. She brought her alliance into one of the narrower canyons and since it was her turn to keep watch, none of them questioned her motives. They were sound asleep when she scaled the fragile walls, and the few tiny rocks that fell from them were not enough to make her old friends stir. Cassandra was waiting for her—a woman of her word as well.

Using Cassandra's strength and a Warhammer in Cashmere's hands, the two of them smashed the rim of the canyon, dropping rocks upon the party of careers. Only Jocelyn survived it, but Cashmere 'discarded' her Warhammer by chucking it into the canyon, striking and killing the girl. Isolda's face was the last one to show up that night, however, indicating that maybe the trauma didn't kill her as much as the bleeding had. But, with them gone, that only left five tributes. Cassandra seemed pleased about the victory against all but one of the careers (Cashmere), but they both knew their alliance couldn't and shouldn't last. As such, they negotiated parting ways.

"I'm impressed, '1," Cassandra grunted, "You're not as bad as I expected."  
"I've got to say," Cashmere confessed, "you're much smarter than I expected—and a lot kinder. It's kind of a shame that we're here, y'know?"  
"I'd drink to that if I had something besides water," Cassandra nodded, "you're cool, and you're polite. 'till next time… and may the odds make it true that when you're mortally wounded in an excruciatingly painful way, your body goes into shock so you don't feel anything when you die."  
Cashmere actually laughed loudly at this. It was not a common phrase in District 1, but in districts including '6, '11, '12, and even '2, that phrase was a common satirizing of the brutality the Hunger Games entailed. Coined by District 11 victor Sagittaria Svenja twenty years earlier, it had established a permanent residence in District 11 culture—including for Cassandra.

"Same to you then," Cashmere smiled, giving her old friend a farewell wave.

"Take care out there, Cashmere." Cassandra put two fingers to the side of her eye before flicking them towards the District 1 girl in a sign of respect. To Cashmere, this didn't seem significant, but to the people of District 11, it was very much so. Cassandra was notorious for not using names for people unless she deeply respected them—and so using Cashmere's name meant the girl had earned respect.

The final day was Day 10, where only three tributes remained. Cassandra was badly poisoned and was racing to find another tribute. If she could kill Cashmere and that District 7 boy, she'd be heading home, and they could cure her wounds. If not… she would die here like the others.

The District 7 boy found Cashmere before Cassandra could find them however, and they got locked in fierce combat. Cashmere was swift, but the boy was strong, and he disarmed her, moving in for the kill. Cashmere delayed him using her fists and her powerful feet, but she knew she was just prolonging the inevitable—or so she thought.

Cassandra barreled in, plowing right through the two of them and giving Cashmere the wind she needed. She staggered to her feet, and briefly locked eyes with the District 11 girl.

"Win it, '1!" she wheezed, her face looking much paler than before, and her eyes bloodshot. She was succumbing to her poison and she knew it. "Take Rodney down!"

However, Rodney was clearly not ready to just take it, but Cashmere was ready to end his life this time. She seized Cassandra's sword and the two clashed once again with Rodney's axe and Cashmere's sword creating sparks with each hit. Only when a cannon fired to signal Cassandra's death from the poison did Cashmere gain the upper hand. It startled Rodney, who froze for a split-second too long—which was all the time Cashmere needed to split his skull and end the games. While slightly assisted, Cashmere's victory was assured, and whether anyone liked it or not, she was now the 12th victor from District 1, and the 64th victor of the Hunger Games.

Cashmere's victory was celebrated in District 1 as an albeit brief era where District 1 had more victors than its primary competitor, District 2. While the Zianja family was not overly egotistical, they didn't mind a little ego-stroking now and again as well. Similarly, Cashmere was an attractive victor, both in appearance and personality, and like her brother (and mother), the Capitol made good use of that. However, she was one of a few victors that held firm and fond memories of one of the fallen tributes of the arena, and she made sure that Cassandra Vine would not be forgotten. District 11 actually seemed to respect this level-headed District 1 victor, and so despite her continuing what was now a 5-year trend of careers winning the games, she was actually well-liked by most of Panem—and she was quite fine with that…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)


	65. The 65th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I'm sure this was also a hotly anticipated chapter as well considering that we all know the victor of this year's games, and so the element of mystery and surprise is eliminated. Despite that, I hope that I can do Finnick Odair some justice as we show off a lot of what we already knew about his games. After this, it only leaves two more canon victors before we finish that and venture into the AU. For those who might think that it becomes less exciting after that, I can promise you that it only gets more intense after the Quarter Quell without losing the 'atmosphere' of the previous Hunger Games. Also, I promised a long time ago that there was at least one game that a 12-year-old won in, so there's that to look forward to as we.._  
_In the meantime... Finnick Odair. Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 65th Annual Hunger Games**

After the back-to-back victories of the previous two years of Hunger Games, District 1 had a pair of highly competent mentors to help train their tributes even more than the district's training centers did. On the other hand, that was not enough to deter the likes of District 2, whose victor count was still nearly as high; nor did it deter the wily citizens of District 3, whose smarts and cunning tactics often earned them spots as allies of the career tributes.

And then there was District 4. Even by the time of the 65th Annual Hunger Games, no one really knew where to place them. Sometimes they behaved like careers, volunteering and joining up with them. Other times they were more cold and cunning like the tributes of District 3 or District 5; and sometimes, albeit very rarely, they were bloodbath fodder.

They were certainly not going to be such this year though. Delphine James and Finnick Odair were both volunteer tributes, behaving much like standard career tributes from the other districts. They both had their reasons for volunteering, although neither one would openly say what those reasons were. They preferred a sense of mystery. However, similar to Song and Azama, the wily tributes that emerged from District 3 that year, they did not wind up joining the career pack like a lot of people (including the careers themselves) had assumed they would.

However, neither did they form their own alliance against Districts 1 and 2. They hardly even formed alliances with each other.

None of them scored too remarkably—at least not in comparison to some other years. The careers took home 9s and 10s, Finnick and Song took 8s, and Azama and Delphine both earned 7s. Sometimes, the easiest way to get ignored in the games was to score moderately: scoring low often made a tribute a target for the stronger ones; scoring high made tributes get sponsored more often and sometimes had other tributes teaming up to take the one in question down. Scoring right in the middle was just as easy a way to be ignored as being the middle child was.

Finnick was far from ignored, however. Considered to be the best-looking tribute that year despite his age, he was showered with sponsor gifts hardly a day after the games had kicked off. 10 kids had died in the bloodbath, with Finnick and the District 3 pair being responsible for a combined total of 5 of them. While there were a few tools or provisions, most of the supplies were weapons. Finnick was particularly destructive because he had managed to snag a trident, which he practically used as an extension of his throwing arm. As he vanished into the jungle-like wilderness of the arena, he knew that he and this trident would go far.

The arena that year was also designed to his advantage (by luck of course), being full of dense palm jungles, white sandy beaches and cerulean blue ocean waves. He used vines from the jungles to weave nets to catch fish, which were ample in the shallow waters, and as he pulled in another decent haul of fish to keep himself fed for another day or two, he realized something else. If these nets were large and strong enough to catch fish, perhaps with a little tweaking he could use them to catch and trap other tributes. If he succeeded here, all it would take would be a quick jab or throw of his trident to take them down. He found a little place away from everyone else to work on this technique and perfect it.

Unbeknownst to the other tributes, a day later Finnick was sponsored the most glorious gift seen in Hunger Games history. It was a trident, much like the one he had been using for the first few days, but this one was a various combination of gold and silver (in color at least) and was arguably the most expensive gift anyone had ever sent a tribute. Smirking, the boy knew exactly what to do with it.

In the meantime, he laid low and worked on nets and traps to rig the arena up with. His traps weren't designed to be lethal the way Song and Azama's were, but more just to immobilize his prey so he could use his trident to finish them off.

To make matters even more advantageous for him, he was basically ignored by the other tributes for the next several days. Delphine took most of the heat by pursuing other tributes aggressively, and managed to kill one of them as well as one of the careers from District 1, over the next few days. Azama and Song were both nefarious with their hazardous traps that also claimed the lives of 2 or 3 tributes, but Finnick himself laid fairly low for the next few days.

It was only around day 9 that he truly emerged, now armed with nets and his trusty trident. Sponsor gifts, practically showered upon him due to his good looks, had allowed him to remain hidden in one part of the jungle for several days as he built nets and traps. It was not that he had pretended to be weak as much as he had simply pretended to be subtle and forgettable. Most people in the Capitol only recognized him for his good looks, and any tribute could testify that being good-looking was not by any means a saving grace or a key to victory… unless they got some wicked-cool sponsor gifts.

Unfortunately for the other tributes, this was exactly what happened to Finnick Odair. Armed with that golden trident, he went on the offensive, chasing other tributes into his net traps or using them to slow his targets down, where he began offing them one by one. Even Song and Azama realized that they had been targeting the wrong tributes this entire time, and as Finnck speared one and then the other, there was no correcting the error of their ways at this point.

True to the nature of District 4, Finnick remained elusive and difficult to track, and his erratic, evasive methods made him that much more slippery and tricky to kill. No one could really tell when he was about to strike, and it almost seemed that even he wasn't sure who he'd run into next, but any time he saw another tribute, out went the next and then into the victim's body went the golden trident. This effective strategy of his was helping him sweep the field.

Day 10 was the final day of the 65th games, as Finnick used his time-honored strategy to close in on his final enemy. Armed with nets and his trusty golden trident, which went down as one of the most expensive sponsor gifts in Hunger Games history (even decades later), he eliminated the distance between himself and his target, and finally took out the last career tribute and end the conflict. With a stroke of luck in the form of a suitable arena, coupled with his incredible sponsor gifts and his own wit and cunning, Finnick Odair became the 5th victor from District 4, and the 65th victor of the Hunger Games.

Of course, being a Capitol favourite was not just being rewarded with fancy items and then escaping the games scot-free. While Finnick was mentally stable, having volunteered to do exactly what he had done in the arena, the Capitolites had sponsored him to ensure his survival for reasons of their own. He was also the youngest victor thus far to win the games, beating out youngsters like Alice and Leto by a couple weeks or months. He joined the two of them as only the 3rd 14-year-old to win the games—and all over simplistic career-style move of volunteering. He stacked later irony into this trick by admitting he lied about volunteering—even now that he had survived the Hunger Games, he refused to tell anyone why he had done it, and to what end.

He was not the first victor to be prostituted out to citizens of the Capitol. Many of the better-looking ones were chosen for these roles, and those who refused were often punished severely (and psychologically). Not Finnick though. He went right along with it, but asked for secrets instead of money. He had served his time in the arena as a wily tribute, and that had not suddenly just vanished after the games. No, true to the nature of District 4 as a wildcard, He knew a great deal of the outside world, even if the outside world knew very little of the true nature of District 4…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)


	66. The 66th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now with the four-in-a-row canon victors out of the way, we make our way towards the end of the Hunger Games line, and into uncharted territory in the very near future. The victor of these games is someone that some of you might recognize. They appeared as one of the mentors to a district in 'The 74th Annual Hunger Games', and so here's a bit of character development. As mentioned in my profile, I don't plan to stop at 75, since this story takes place in the same AU that all my other Hunger Games fanfics do. As such, we're climbing all the way to 99. Whatever the case, I'll cut the rambling short. Here's the chapter.  
(It is also worth pointing out that I left out an important detail or two in the previous chapter. As such, there have been a few small amendments to chapter 65, mostly near the end after Finnick's victory.)_  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 66th Annual Hunger Games**

After watching another 14-year-old win the games the previous year, younger children saw it as another ray of hope that perhaps they were not all completely doomed if they got sent to the arena. Thankfully none of them volunteered for the 66th Annual Hunger Games when the reaping day came around, but the feelings of despair generally associated with the 'games was slightly lessened as different children from the different districts felt like they might stand a chance for one reason or another.

Despite this being the first notable time in history where District 1 had more victors than District 2, the tributes from there were unfazed. Determined to bring home a victor, both Heidi Gracia and Elroy Trujillo were raring to go, and were about as confident and cocky as the average career.

Of course, in response to this, District 1 was determined to hold onto their lead, and tributes Aiden Ewing and Michelle Osborne were there to help. It was thus far unheard of for a district to win three years in a row, especially because there would often be camaraderie between the other districts to stop it from happening if they could. This was more or less what Heidi and Elroy thought of, which jeopardized the career pack that year. Perhaps their opinions would change once they reached the training center. Hopefully Aiden and Michelle thought similarly.

An unlikely alliance was formed between District 5 and District 11, figuring that their combination of urban smarts and rural strength would help them complement each other in ways that other alliances normally did not. Michelle knew that the real culprits in this alliance would be the District 5 pair: Core and Riley. District 11's Rye Sandman would be more of the brawny type that would pose a threat in close combat. His partner, Slash Takamatzu, would be just as dangerous, especially if her first name was anything to go by regarding her fighting style.

The week of training came and went, and with it came the usual training scores, where Capitol citizens would place bets on tributes to win or lose—sometimes even going as far as betting what place a boy or girl would end up in, be it 1st or otherwise. Aiden and Heidi scored 10s, Elroy scored an 11, and Michelle scored a 9. Core surprised everyone, including his partner and the rest of his district, by scoring a 12. Perhaps he would be a viable threat in the games… unless someone were to team up and slay him in the opening minutes.

Riley scored a 9 alongside Rye, and Slash took home an 11. These two alliances were the largest threats today, for it didn't even seem like District 12 was going to get much attention this year because of their tributes. Time would tell.

The arena gave some tributes the impression that it would work out in District 1's favour, with the icy cliffs and mountains surrounding them giving a warning that it was going to be cold. Tributes from the more southerly districts, including '2, '5, and '11, might not do so well. Bets were changed, theories were made, and conjectures formed among mentors, sponsors, and gamblers alike. 10 tributes died in the bloodbath that morning, although surprisingly, none of them were from District 2, District 5, or District 11 (or District 1, but their location in the mountains north of the Capitol meant that they were probably used to this type of environment in the wintertime). There was plenty of food and warmer clothing at the cornucopia, and so Michelle, Elroy, Heidi, and Aiden gathered the crates of weapons, food and provisions and congregated them all within a few-foot radius of the mouth of the golden horn.

Core, however, didn't earn a perfect score based on his good looks (though he was not necessarily hard on the eyes), and so even though he and his alliance (which had survived the bloodbath fully intact) were chased away from the cornucopia clearing, they were far from out, and instead got to work exploring the arena. There was nothing overly remarkable about it other than the beauty that a dark, icy world offered. There was minimal light as if the arena was subjected to polar nights, but there were northern lights shimmering high above them, giving the tributes at least one breathtaking view before they died.

Typical to how they usually behaved, the career pack spent the next few days making little raids on the arena to try and discover what was out there. When they came across a tribute, they almost always engaged in combat, with the careers coming out on top. Their usual strategy was in full effect this year: roam the arena, sweeping aside any other tributes that stood in their way with the hopes of being able to turn on one another at the end. They spent an entire week camping out and hunting down tributes until their cornucopia supplies had been exhausted, and while they had made good progress by lowering the surviving tribute count down from 14 to 9, and the remaining other tribute wound up freezing to death or something. Elroy was the one to point out the oddity of their situation. So far, they had seen every tribute (and caused the deaths of all but one, barring those in the bloodbath) except their enemies from the District 5 and District 11 alliances. After nearly getting impaled by a massive icicle that had clearly not broken off by pure coincidence, Aiden was pretty sure they were getting close.

Sure enough, on day 9, they ran into Rye and Slash, both of whom proved to be just as adept now as they had been in the bloodbath. They taunted the career pack, luring them farther and farther away from the center of the arena, and towards a series of icy caves. The shimmering lights above them reflected these caves as blue, green, or purple. While beautiful, however, it was not enough to distract the careers from their goal. By the time they reached a clearing with multiple caves in front of them, they had a moment of pause before realizing which way they needed to go.

"I see footprints and wall markers." Heidi pointed to a small stick-like object dug into the wall of the cave. "I think they're in here."  
"We should probably post guards though." Aiden suggested, "in case one or more of them is lying in wait for an ambush or something…"  
"I'll do it," Elroy shrugged. He was taking a huge risk considering that if more than one tribute was waiting to ambush them, he would be outnumbered, but he also had a very shrewd idea that the small post Heidi had pointed out wasn't just a marker.

"Just don't die…" Heidi quipped, bumping fists with Elroy.

"I don't plan to." He chuckled in response.

As his three allies ventured into the cave, Elroy took a moment to analyze the post in the base of the icy wall. A bit of analysis revealed it was an explosive device. He wandered in a little ways (considering his job was just to make sure that no one tried coming in through the cave and trapping his alliance inside) and found another one. He suddenly had an idea, although it would require betraying his alliance.

Whipping out a lighter he had used over the last few weeks to keep himself and his friends warm, he raced back to the cave's opening before lighting the first "post" which was actually essentially dynamite. He raced for cover, and sure enough, it set off a huge chain reaction. The entire cave system was demolished, taking his three career allies with. As Elroy paused, he froze in silence to listen to how many cannon shots were fired. He heard three right away, which he assumed was from his own allies, and then suddenly, heard four more. Core, Riley, Rye, and Slash had all been inside and waiting, probably armed with who-knows-what. They had most likely planned to get the careers lost in the cave as they made their escape and then collapsed it on them, but Elroy had simply expedited the process by getting all 7 of them in one fell swoop. Similarly, seven cannon shots when 8 tributes were still alive. That in and of itself made Elroy the 12th victor from District 2, and the 66th victor of the Hunger Games.

Elroy wasn't too terribly fond of the cold after an arena like that, but he remained a fairly cool and levelheaded individual who became famous as "the demolition man", by some of his peers and by the Capitol despite that all he really did was set off a trap clearly meant for him. Whatever the case, District 2 had gone and earned itself another victor to tie with District 1, which helped their egos more than anything else. Such was the nature of the games—especially among the careers.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)


	67. The 67th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Apparently it's a common 'fanon' that Johanna won the 67th Hunger Games. I was actually unaware of that entirely, and similar to the 38th Hunger Games, I had this chapter planned out before I knew who Augustus Braun was (and similarly, thought that a district winning three times in a 4-year period was ridiculous). Anyhoo... we get another legacy victor here, and Johanna will show her face right after Annie, so there's that to look forward to in the coming week or two._  
_Either way, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 67th Annual Hunger Games**

While most years it never really amounted to anything worthwhile, every now and again the rumor that the children of a victor were more likely to be dragged back into the games than their mundane peers would resurface. It was usually fairly difficult to tell considering how few of the victors actually had children due to how broken and unstable they and their minds were. However, this rumor resurfaced again during the 67th Annual Hunger Games thanks to the wiles of a charismatic victor named Sagittaria Svenja. She was not only a district favourite in her home of District 11, but also a Capitol favourite, and so when her two eldest children returned to the reapings again, the crowds were on edge.

A girl named Bethany DuLange was chosen to represent District 11 that year, and the crowds gasped as Sagittaria's eldest son, Varric, was also brought to the stage. Similar to other years when relatives of victors were chosen, Sagittaria elected to accompany Chaff as a mentor, which would also in turn help both tributes get equal support from mentors that year.

Despite Sagittaria's obvious and justified bias, she was still kind and welcoming to Bethany, just as Chaff was to Varric, and both of them wanted to see one of their tributes come home, as any good mentor did. They were no careers, but they were still the 5th-highest district in terms of victor production, and they planned to keep their reputation that way. Winning this year would tie them with District 3, notorious for producing wily tributes, and this year it seemed no different what with Asami Chang and Mateo Wright as a pair of volunteers, no less.

Of course, it was hardly a surprise when District 1's Jasper and Elspeth recruited them. While it was uncommon for District 3 to produce volunteers, any time they did, they had always thus far joined the career pack. Naturally, James and Sapphire from District 2 were in on the career pack alliance just as well. Even District 12 looked like it had potential. The strapping young man looked much healthier than most of the kids that came from there, and while his partner was definitely skinny and kind of scraggly, she was feared far more than her partner because of her dark red face paint—many people knew at this point that "Painted Tributes" had quite the sinister reputation regardless of when or if they even won the games or not.

The odds were stacked much heavier against Varric than they had been for his mother, but he and Bethany stayed confident throughout the week of training, all the way down to when the training scores were released after the private sessions on the final evening.

Unsurprisingly, the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 3 all scored predictably high, with 9s, 10s, and 11s all around. Bethany and Varric were both satisfied with their 9s, although raised an eyebrow when the little painted girl from District 12 scored an 11. The real eye-opener for everyone however, was when Silas and Iona from District 4 both scored perfect 12s. It threw a lot of issues into question, since not even the careers had expected that to happen, and unlike Mateo and Asami, the pair from District 4 did not show any interest in joining the career alliance.

Varric decide to use the final evening before the games as the last chance to get in their good graces. He might not have been quite as charismatic as his mother, but considering how high she set the bar, Varric was still very charming. He proposed an alliance, which Silas accepted and got Iona to nod in agreement on. It was an unusual alliance, but both sides appeared to have an agenda that benefitted from this partnership, and so it went into the games on surprisingly stable grounds.

Unlike the previous year, the arena for this year was hotter and more humid, hinting at a jungle-like environment outside of the cornucopia clearing. Ten tributes, including the strapping District 12 boy, both tributes from District 10, and a mixture of tributes from Districts 5-9, had to die before they could be sure though, and thus the bloodbath came and went only minutes after the gong had sounded.

The careers took control of the cornucopia, including its ample supplies and weapons. An oddity this year was that while there were a few weapons, many of them were just jagged shards of metal similar to a hunger games a few decades ago. For the tributes of District 4 and District 11, this hardly mattered; tributes from District 11 were used to improvising and making do with what they had, while tributes from District 4 were almost always very difficult to predict one way or the other.

While the rest of the 1st night went by without any further deaths, someone rigged one of the jungle trees to explode somehow, killing another tribute. None of the participants in the games knew it yet, but those who were watching from their homes or from the Capitol saw that Rinka Valdez, the conniving painted District 12 girl, had used some of the materials from the arena to create some type of bombs.

Silas and Iona bushwhacked their way through the jungle using the larger metal shards as machetes, also displaying rather impressive dexterity by also disarming traps or other dangers as they went. It was only after they confronted the career pack late on Day 5 that things started to turn ugly. Silas speared Elspeth that evening, and the alliance woke up with the other careers on their tails. District 4's tributes ran fast, but Varric and Bethany were faster. Silas lost his life to James, but his partner Iona avenged him by slaying Jasper and injuring James.

Bethany, perhaps feeling some moral obligation to help her allies, turned back to fight them. Varric positioned himself in some bushes, using the cover as a vantage point. He thought of his mother and of Rye Grove, the boy she had had to slay to end the games. He did not want to have to do that to Bethany. The two alliances made camp near each other, but neither one wanted to make the first move at night when there were traps being built.

Mateo's first blunder was taunting his enemies after he had speared Bethany early in the afternoon of Day 8. He hardly finished taunting when he found a knife lodged in his forehead courtesy of Varric. Iona clashed with Sapphire and James, killing the later and mortally wounding the former as she lay dying from poisons on Sapphire's blade. The two alliances had been decimated, leaving only Varric from the outer districts and Asami from the careers. Neither one was really sure where the other had gone; so coincidentally, they went opposite ways, which also helped them to recuperate from the attacks and massacres of the previous couple of days.

Day 10 saw only five tributes remaining, and Asami took out one of them the following evening. The other remaining tribute died the next night at the hands of Rinka's bombs, leaving only the three of them: Asami, Rinka, and Varric.

During the downtime as the two girls had hunted the remaining two boys, Varric had spent his time building an elaborate bolt-shooting weapon similar to the crossbow his mother had built decades ago. However, instead of arrows or bolts, it shot the metal shards from the cornucopia, producing a much deadlier effect (if his hunting kills were anything to go by). Now he wanted to try it one on of the last tributes—and he knew which one to go for.

Unfortunately for him, Rinka had other plans, raiding Varric's camp and essentially blowing up all of his supplies except the weapon that he kept close to him. However, all of his reserve ammunition had been among his camp supplies, and so he only had about 4 or 5 shots left on the thing unless he found more of those shards.

However, the odds shifted in Varric's favour near the final days of the games. Apparently Asami was also fed up with Rinka's pyrotechnical explosives and wanted her gone, and so she went on the warpath to take that renegade tribute down. Such was usually the case for Painted Tributes, but even after Asami overpowered her in a fight on Day 14, Rinka was still remembered as another of those dangerously skilled saboteurs that would do arguably well on a battlefield rather than a death arena.

While he considered himself at least a somewhat honourable young man, Varric didn't exactly want a fair fight with Asami when he confronted her, and so the moment he saw her approaching, he pointed his weapon at her and fired one of his metal shards. It caught her so off-guard that she froze, staggering back, and allowing him to shoot her again. This time she died, and thus the games were over. Varric had done what his district had hoped he would, becoming the 6th victor from District 11, and the 67th victor of the Hunger Games.

He gave genuine and heartfelt condolences for Bethany when he returned home (as well as on the last stop of his victory tour), and like his mother, whom he strongly took after in both behavior and mannerisms, he gave even his enemies a respectful farewell during his victory tour, and ultimately became a rather well-liked individual when all was said and done. Whether or not the rumor regarding a victor's children being more likely to get dragged into the games was true or not, Varric was alive and well, proving that sometimes a victor really could be the child of another victor—and should he have children and one of them got reaped, he would do everything in his power to bring them back home.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)


	68. The 68th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _For some reason, this was actually one of the last chapters I wrote, and I don't really know why.I had no trouble writing it once I did; I think I just had too much fun writing some of the chapters out of order. It made things feel a bit more randomized to me. Whatever the case, here's the 68th chapter and one of the last 'bridge' chapters I need. As such, I'll be able to keep the 3-times-a-week schedule all the way to this fic's completion, and so the finish date (when I post chapter 99) is going to be around the 30th of September unless something comes up. I'll tweak my profile accordingly if anything does though._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 68th Annual Hunger Games**

While most districts had produced at least a couple of victors by the time the 68th Annual Hunger Games rolled around, there were a few that floundered in terms of performance. Sometimes it was just bad luck, other times they were a menace similar to District 12's "Painted Tributes"—dangerous tributes that drew too much attention to themselves and got taken down before the games had ended. The strategies were sound, however, and these tributes did not often get forgotten very easily.

Whatever the case, the Gamemakers hardly cared what district won the games as long as the tributes in question played by their rules, which all of them always did—once the tributes were in the arena there weren't any rules. There were a few actions that had undesirable consequences, but there was nothing stopping the tributes from still doing these things anyways. Fortunately for anyone who wanted to come out of there alive, there wasn't anyone that foolish this year.

Like nearly every other year since their inception, the career pack formed this year as well, with Lance Newell and Selena Drake from District 1 watching the recaps to size up their comrades from District 2. Obsidian Tsun and Rey Kazera did not disappoint, proving to be viable contenders and worthy tributes from District 2, to no one's surprise.

Districts 11 and 12 also formed an alliance that year, and after noticing that Melanie Hicks and Carver Tabris from District 9 actually seemed like they might stand a chance rather than being the usual bloodbath fodder that they had developed a reputation for being. The alliance was definitely confirmed after the two District 9 kids scored symbolic 9s in training. It was not very high compared to the 11s and 12s that the four careers scored (or even the 10s that both District 3 kids took), but it was more impressive than the usual 5s or 6s their district and District 10 were better known for.

Once the tributes caught their first glimpse of the arena, they knew they were in for a treat, and not necessarily in the good way. Outside of the cornucopia clearing, the arena appeared to be some abandoned warehouse district of a derelict city. Perhaps there were still goods and usable items in these buildings, for the supplies at the cornucopia were scant, and seemed to mostly just hold various weapons of all kinds.

10 tributes died that morning, and in an odd twist of fate, they were carved right along district lines. The less urbanized districts: '4, '7, '10', '11, and '12, all lost their tributes. District 9, despite being the grain district, was actually a rather urbanized place outside of the fields, with factories and granaries dotting the landscape, and with those tricks in mind, both Melanie and Carver had hightailed it from the cornucopia and avoided the bloodbath entirely. The pairs of tributes from Districts 3, 5, 6, and 8 managed to escape as well, but scattered like cockroaches in the wake of the career tributes seizing the cornucopia before panning out to find out where the goods were.

Luckily for the other tributes, Districts 3 and 5 did not form an alliance, because they would have likely had a heyday with the kinds of gadgets they found in the warehouses. District 6 wound up finding tracker-jacker hives and fire, and so took the example of a few of their predecessors from a decade or two ago and got high from the insects. Heating the venom removed the poisonous toxins, but the hallucinatory effects remained, and considering that these two were fairly drug-addled like much of District 6, this was exactly what they wanted.

It did wind up costing them their lives the next day, when Rey and Obsidian wandered into their warehouse looking for supplies. They were both so blitzed that the District 2 pair looked at each other, shrugged, and both killed a District 6 tribute before making off with the supplies.

Carver and Melanie were a bit more secluded. They had made their way to the tallest warehouse, climbing a few rickety stairs and ladders to earn this vantage point. Armed with bows and slingshots, they used a couple of cracked windows as their murder holes, aiming down at anything or anyone that might have crossed their path.

On day 4 a girl from District 8 went in with one of the boldest and most audacious moves seen by a non-career tribute. She had scouted out the careers' camp, and waited for Rey and Obsidian to go on another of their tribute-hunts. Selena was resting, and she was the girl's primary target. However, with Lance on watch duty for the moment, she would have to get by him to reach Selena. When she realized this, she swapped targets, going all in with a lance in hand, and perhaps ironically, lancing Lance to death. He barely managed to bellow out when the girl impaled him, but it was enough to wake Selena, who slept with her hand around her sword, and thus was able to slash the girl from District 8 before she could escape, and killed her.

Nights in these warehouses and abandoned factories were chilling, since the moonlight and starlight couldn't penetrate most of the buildings short of through the glass windows (broken or intact), and obviously there was no running power (or perhaps the electricians in District 5 might have already harnessed it and won the games by this point). Carver and Melanie stayed hidden in their tower, while Rey went on a solo mission to take out District 3. Selena also split from the group to try and find the District 8 boy to avenge her own partner. '8 would pay for what they did.

It took a couple nights for these tributes to find their quarries. Rey silenced the pair from District 3 in a single stroke, ending their lives in Night 7. Selena gave chase to the boy from '8, and the ruckus woke up the pair from '9. Rey was about to close in on the District 8 boy with Selena, but suddenly, an arrow struck the District 1 girl in the head, courtesy of Melanie. Carver followed up with a shot aimed for Rey, but the other boy got in the way and was taken down. The problem now was that Rey knew where the arrows were coming from, and she responded so swiftly that neither one of them saw it coming.

She whipped out a throwing axe and launched it with such velocity that it went right through the window, spraying Carver with glass and lodging itself right into Melanie's chest. She did not know there were two tributes up there, however, and so after she saw the hovercrafts poke through the roof to collect Melanie's body (and then Selena's and the District 8 boy's) she figured her work was done, and she moved on. Carver might have tried shooting her then and there, but he was scrambling for Melanie's bow before they took her body away.

The next day a rather violent exchange took place between Rey, Obsidian, and the pair from District 5. They had built some makeshift lightning machines, and managed to electrocute Obsidian into submission before taking him down. They sustained serious injuries from him and Rey in the meantime however, and in their weakened state, they fled from Rey. The girl didn't make it, and the boy dropped dead not too long after. Rey originally thought she had gotten the kill, but there was an arrow in his back that did not belong to her. She knew where it came from now.

Despite Carver's attempts, Rey stormed the warehouse, chasing Carver all the way up to the roof. Other than his bow, which Rey managed to strike and shatter, all he had was the axe Rey had thrown into the chest of his partner, and he didn't really know how to use it as effectively as the career girl now advancing towards him.

Rey began moving closer and closer to Carver, twirling her axes and licking her lips. There was nowhere to run; nowhere to hide, and she knew it. She launched one of her axes at him again, although was caught off-guard by Carver's comeback. He threw the axe at her, where it cleanly lopped off her right arm just above the elbow. The boy was stronger than he looked. Rey staggered back, clutching her injured limb, and her brief immobility was all Carver needed to grab a blade, shove Rey over, and cut her throat, thus ending the games. Rey's cannon fired, and Carver stood atop the rooftop of the warehouse triumphant, having become the 2nd victor from District 9, and the 68th victor of the Hunger Games.

Victors were a rarity in the grain district, and so it was unsurprising that he was hailed as a hero. Like Olivia before him, Carver turned to drinking heavily, as one way to get his mind off of the games, but also because District 9 produced some mighty fine brews. Like every victor before him, his life was changed forever by the games, and like many others as well—he seldom ever spoke of it again.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)


	69. The 69th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _It's pretty much smooth sailing from here on out. Every Monday-Wednesday-Friday should contain an update for this story until its completion, including the upcoming "2nd Golden Age" in the 90s (91-99) in the near future. Thanks everyone that has participated so far. I enjoy every bit of feedback. Also, For those wondering about the number of victors in District 3 in my AU... there were 8 as of the 94th Hunger Games, but a 9th one joined them between then and the 99th games. But back on topic, the books mentioned that "5 years ago the arena was a burning desert". So... spoiler alert about the arena, but not much else._  
_Either way... Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 69th Annual Hunger Games**

There was a certain level of artistic dedication that went into designing the Hunger Games arenas. Some of them took years to plan and then even longer to actually build, but the Capitol's technology was second to none, and they had all the time, money, and resources they ever needed to construct these magnificently terrible structures. Even the simplest ones still had a lot of complexities to them that didn't meet the eye. The environment was under the Capitol's control, and they had to be able to unleash traps, hazards, mutts, or other game-changers into the arena as they pleased.

The arena for the 69th Annual Hunger Games was one of the deceptively simple ones. A barren, rocky desert that practically radiated heat all on its own was the setting of choice here, which meant that there would be a struggle for water, and fights would break out at the cornucopia more than usual if there was any of it there. The tributes that would have the sharpest edge in this year's games would be the tributes from District 5 and District 2, which were both located in mostly rocky, desert terrain. District 3's cunning would also serve them well, while those from District 1 might also do fairly well by virtue of being careers. Garrett Mendez and Marian Sandega would definitely be viable threats in the arena, considering that the former scored a 12 in training, and his partner scored an 11.

Over in District 5, Corbin Red and Bethany Shanza were also poised to become viable threats. While they both only scored 9s, they were as analytical as the District 3 pair, who they formed an alliance with. While District 2 went for their usual friends in District 1 (with the boy, Marco, scoring a 10, and the girl, Glitz, scoring an 11), Corbin and Bethany went for District 3's Zak Matu and Leto Nohr, both of whom scored fairly high as well.

The cameras that captured the tributes' expressions during the 60-second countdown caught on to the highly analytical expressions plastered on the visages of District 3 and District 5. By coincidence of placement, they were about equidistant from each other in the semicircle of tributes. Depending on how they played their cards, this would either benefit them greatly, or be their downfall.

When the gong sounded, it did not take long to see that it was beneficial. Leto and Corbin took one side, while Zak and Bethany took the other, forming a pincer attack on several tributes before seizing some supplies including much-coveted water, before hauling their alliance out and into the rocky desert that awaited them. Garrett, Marian, Glitz, and Marco all huddled under the shadow of the golden horn, ready to hide from the oppressive sun that would surely scorch the arena, and dry up the blood of the 10 tributes that had lost their lives in this small clearing.

The first night was not terribly eventful, other than most of the tributes noting that the lower evening temperature was not as low as they had thought it would be—or hoped it would be. It was hot enough that some tributes shed a few layers of clothing, while others sought shadier refuges. Many tributes shifted their sleep schedules to try and sleep during the day in the shade and move at night where the temperatures were less unbearable, and those that didn't were likely some of the cannons that had fired the 2nd day. Corbin and Bethany figured that this year's games would not be very long.

Even then, with the way they rationed their water, there came a point early in day 5 where their supply was depleted. None of them considered the cornucopia as a place to check, figuring the careers had likely taken control of any bottled water that had remained. Bethany was sponsored a bottle of water that she pretended was medicine, and did her best to diffuse any tension that was rising from an impatient and thirsty alliance. Otherwise, they didn't run into very much in the ways of life of any kind, except for a few poisonous snakes. Bethany and Leto both collected some of the venom for their weapons, but even then, the rest of the evening did not give them anyone to use them on.

During the day as the others went down for sleep, Bethany broke away from her old alliance, heading out into the sun, figuring that the careers still travelled by day. She was right about this, running into Marian before anyone else. She proposed an alliance, reminding her that there were still 6 other tributes besides the career pack, ("7 if you include me…") and for Marian, that was enough. Bethany was welcomed into the career alliance, who were on the trail for water like most of the other surviving players. They had a limited supply, and no one suspected that this District 5 girl had just hatched one of the most devious schemes in the Hunger Games.

She returned to her old alliance shortly before they woke up, telling them that she knew where the careers were going to make camp the following day. They bought her story, but in truth, she was leading them to a trap. She let them make camp at a certain location, seemingly out of sight, and when they went to sleep, Bethany returned to the career pack, warning them of the would-be ambush that was waiting for them at the nearby waterhole in question.

As such, the careers fell upon Bethany's old allies, bringing three more deaths on day 7 (in addition to one more somewhere else in the arena), and the final tribute count down to 7. Bethany's schemes weren't over yet. Taking the snake venom that she had been saving this entire time, she slipped drops of it into the careers' water bottles, waiting for the moment they left the waterhole.

Day 8 started normally, with the five tributes waking up to seek out the other two. They all took a swig of water to quench their parched mouths, and were on their way. It only took a few minutes for the venom to kick in, and it was almost comical to watch all four of the careers fall dead nearly simultaneously. Four cannons fire, and Bethany knew she had this game in the bag.

Day 9 was the final day of these fast paced Hunger Games. The boy from District 11 died of natural causes (or possibly mutts), and Bethany ambushed the boy from District 7 as he slept, and put an end to the games. She became the 8th victor from District 5, and the 69th victor of the Hunger Games.

Bethany Shanza was a reminder to Panem that while a lot of the District 5 tributes were sort of wildcards (what with that unlike the careers, there were plenty of these children that died in the bloodbath), that they were still a dangerously cunning and formidable force. Bethany did not ever become a very trustworthy individual, especially after her stunts in the arena, which made her somewhat intimidating, and even the Capitol kept tabs on her—just in case. The biggest change that happened to Bethany after all was said and done was that she drank much more water than she used to—and to this day, still enjoys an ice cold shower or two…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)


	70. The 70th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we reach the final two victors before the divergence. Here's Annie, the first of these two. All we know about her games is that her partner (and presumably friend) was beheaded, and that the games slowed and got boring, so the Gamemakers "accidentally" broke a dam. Further details will be elaborated on in the chapter itself, and from here we make our way to the final stretch. I'll have the bridge chapter up before Friday, and so the three-times-a-week update schedule will persist. And remember... always watch out for those wily folks from District 3._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 70th Annual Hunger Games**

Perhaps it was a contrast to the year before, or maybe it was just an attempt to mix things up, but whatever the case, there were high hopes for the 70th Annual Hunger Games as the tributes rolled into the Capitol and audiences across the country watched and rewatched the Reapings (some not by choice, considering it was mandatory).

District 4's Corrin Swenson and Annie Cresta were both volunteers, and so everyone expected them to join the career pack when the time came. Neither one seemed overly decisive about it, but it was clear that they at least had a firm alliance with one another. In fact, they both appeared to be very close friends, which may have explained their working together.

However, upon facing Ford and Laz from District 1, as well as Solomon and Jada from District 2, neither Corrin nor Annie wanted to ally with them for whatever personal reasons they might have had. Corrin was the one that was primarily against it, but Annie trusted her friend enough to support his decision as well. Instead they looked to District 3, which was a common ally of District 4 when they weren't aligned with the careers. Falco and Sofia agreed not to harm them in the opening portions of the games, which was good enough for them.

Annie actually scored a 12 in training, which made her that much more desirable by the careers to have as an ally. Her partner Corrin scored a 9, which wasn't too shabby. 10s and 11s spanned the rest of the board for Districts 1, 2, and 3; all of which were respectable at the end of the day. The arena would be where they would get to put these skills to the test and see how much more than mere numbers these training scores were. Such was the tradition over the last 70 years, and it was not about to change.

The arena was an interesting sight. Almost as if they were compensating for the previous year, the Gamemakers had designed a landscape that was flat and smooth, with natural formations in more orderly fashions rather than jagged rocks from the desert before. Even the humidity seemed to be a contrast to the year before, with ominous clouds in the sky nearly acting as portents of things to come.

However, it didn't rain much on the first couple of days more than a mere drizzle. In fact, no one even died that evening other than the 10 tributes that were killed in the bloodbath. From there, the remaining tributes and alliances scattered, with the careers remaining at the cornucopia to take advantage of the supplies that seemed fairly ample there.

Falco and Sofia didn't stick around, but they kept their word of not attacking District 4, as well as not attacking Districts 2 or 1. These careers did assault Annie and Corrin however, with Ford, Laz, Solomon, and Jada disarming them before basically pushing them around, warning them that it would get a lot worse if they didn't join up.

Naturally, neither one of them really wanted to join such abrasive tributes, let alone resist the urge to kill them; and so after more resistance, the careers up and left to give them another chance (a testament to how much they wanted Annie on their side). Annie and Corrin found another pair of weapons and continued on their way.

Apart from these deaths, however, very little happened the next couple of days until Sofia and Falco showed up. For a moment it seemed like they were going to propose an alliance to take down Solomon, Jada, Ford, and Laz, but suddenly Sofia whipped out a jagged sword and swung it with such ferocity at Corrin that his head came right off, splattering Annie with his blood.

"The career pack sends their regards." Falco spoke up as Sofia sheathed her blade. Betrayals were nothing new in the Hunger Games, but as such a powerfully-scoring tribute, Annie had not expected betrayal when there were still this many people alive. Now her best friend lay dead and decapitated in front of her, and so frozen was she that she couldn't even pick up her weapon or fight back against the District 3 pair who bumped fists as they returned presumably to the cornucopia with the news.

The careers spent several days trying to find out where Annie had disappeared to, but so vast was the ring of mountains that there was no way they could guess what part of the mountainside she had hidden herself on.

This continued for a few more days until the Gamemakers got fed up of waiting. Whether it was an accident or whether it was deliberate due to the slow pace and the lack of additional deaths, one (or more) of them triggered a massive earthquake. Chunks of the ring of mountains began to break away, and Annie was nearly crushed by one that almost grazed her side as it tumbled into the valley below. However, she also learned the terrifying way what lay beyond these mountains. Far to the north, the rumbling blew a hole in the mountain, causing the dammed up water behind it to burst through. It began to flood the arena as the remaining tributes sought high ground. Since she was perched at the foot of a sheer cliff, all Annie could do was swim as the arena began to rapidly fill up.

This actually wound up being what saved her. While some of the careers could swim a little bit, no one swam as proficiently as the tributes from District 4. No one really trained for it apart from them because water-based arenas that required swimming were relatively rare. Thus, despite their high stamina, not even the resilient Solomon, Ford, Laz, or Jada were able to keep up as Annie treaded water. Sofia and Falco were also long gone at this point.

Struggling to stay afloat as her stamina gradually depleted, Annie listened for the cannons to go off one by one as the other tributes drowned. Right as she thought she was about to go under and lose it (for the water was also not calm, which meant Annie couldn't simply try to float on the waves), she heard the announcement that the games had ended, with her name showing up as the winner of the victor's title. Her swimming abilities had just saved her life, and because of them, Annie was now the 6th victor from District 4, and the 70th victor of the Hunger Games.

Seeing her best friend get decapitated by someone she thought she could at least sort of trust though, had had devastatingly traumatic effects on her, and the flooding arena surely didn't help either. Annie was a very unstable woman after that, often covering her eyes or ears as if drowning out the noises of the flooding or of the tributes screams as they were washed away. Sometimes she laughed at nothing; sometimes she screamed endlessly, and other times she simply gazed silently into the horizon. She wasn't insane like a lot of people thought; just very unstable like so many victors before her—a norm that was becoming increasingly more and more common as the years went by…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)


	71. The 71st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I'm sure that this was and is a hotly-anticipated chapter as well. According to Collins and the films, Johanna Mason won the 71st Annual Hunger Games, and so given this chapter's number, it's clear who we'll be dealing with here. Sadly, since we know that she pretended to be a snivelling coward to reduce attention from herself, we don't get to see her crazy, vulgar side too much till near the end. whatever the case, like with all canon victors, I hope to have done Johanna some justice for her chapter in my Hunger Games chronology._  
_Happy Reading! _

* * *

**The 71st Annual Hunger Games**

The events surrounding the previous year's games had been somewhat controversial given how it ended, but nothing could change who had won the games, and at the end of the day, it was still considered a fully legitimate victory. The Capitol always had clever ways to make sure that at least one tribute was spared their wrath, even if the Gamemakers responsible for the events the previous year had been replaced.

As such, there was a fresh set of faces and ideas for the 71st Annual Hunger Games. Obviously this applied as well for the tribute pool, although the faces this year didn't seem to be anything that the Capitol and most of Panem weren't already well-acquainted with: strong, high-scoring careers, cunning tributes from Districts 5 and 3, wildcards from District 4, average performances across most of the remaining districts, with a slight increase around District 11 and 12. One oddity was the girl from District 7, however. While she appeared to be a strapping young woman who appeared to have good form and posture, she performed so poorly in the training center that her training score was only a 4. She ate ravenously during the lunch breaks, and ate by herself, afraid to approach anyone in what would later prove to be a high-risk, high-return gambit.

Originally the careers were going to ask the pair from District 7 to join them, but after seeing the abysmal performance of this Johanna Mason, they even seemed to have doubts about her partner Shane, but after he scored a 9, they welcomed him to the club, so to speak. Johanna marked this as the first mistake the careers made that year. She had nothing against her partner at all, but if they were going to judge her based on her training score, then they were going to be in for a rude awakening. Granted, she had done what she did banking on them as well as members of the Capitol audiences judging her based on her score, and so her gambit would be an all-or-nothing endeavor when the time came. She hoped that the arena would favor her antics.

To her utmost delight, it did. Surrounded by a rather daunting forest full of massive, towering trees that were wider across than many tributes, she knew that she was right at home. She had to keep her act of being timid up, however, and so she beelined away from the cornucopia after the gong sounded, disappearing into the woods. She was sure that she could find a tribute and take their weapon sooner or later. She didn't imagine it would be too hard to snap a neck.

Instead of killing anyone though, Johanna remained hidden as she secretly followed the careers. After they made their next kill and left the body for the hovercrafts to pick up, she ran in, snatched the axe the dead boy had been wielding, and ran back into the woods. The careers thought little of it, considering that this timid girl had been afraid of combat, and so they were more concerned about the stronger targets.

Their philosophy seemed valid, for over the next few days they had no trouble dominating the battlefield. Shane wondered if he was going to cross paths with Johanna, and how they'd end up killing her. If she was as scared and feeble as she appeared, they'd have no trouble taking her down, but there was such thing (to him at least) as overkill.

The forest was also filled with mutts, including bears and wolves. They were easy to take down if a tribute was swift enough, but made up for their lack of speed with brute strength and power. In fine, if they knocked a tribute down, odds were they wouldn't get back up. A boy from District 10 who was camping in a distant corner of the arena learned this the hard way after these monsters found his camp and mauled him to death. The Capitol seemed to enjoy that kind of violence.

It was for this reason that sponsors brought the careers some sleek weapons. All the talk of brutally murdering Johanna upon finding her brought them a touch of excitement. That excitement didn't diminish as they fought off packs of vicious mutts that even claimed Shane's life. 8 days in and there were only 7 tributes left, with Shane's face appearing in the night sky later that evening.

It was in this moment, as she gazed upon the holographic face of her partner in the sky that the sleeping beast inside Johanna Mason had awakened, and she knew what she had to do. The following morning she picked off one of the straggler tributes, and when the cannons went off to signal their deaths, the careers hardly expected that she was responsible. The wolves and bears were becoming more frequent, and so they figured they were just more casualties of them, or of each other.

They were given something new to fear when they found her sinking her axe into the body of a District 6 boy as another cannon went off. A slasher smile plastered the spiky-haired girl's face as she twirled a pair of bloodstained axes and took a step towards them.

"It's time for you to run." She grinned ear to ear.

"We're not afraid of you," the careers warned in response."

"Really now?" Johanna wrenched the axe out of her victim, "because you should be."

It was game time.

"Flee! Flee for your lives!" she shouted a merciless taunt as she raced in for a head-on attack which surprisingly worked. She took down the boy from District 2 first, causing the careers to scatter. The girl from District 1, who was nearly overrun, turned around to fight Johanna, but the District 7 girl was essentially in a berserker mode, which helped her shrug off attacks, and allowed her to channel her strength into swinging her axe so hard that it shattered the career girl's spear.

"uh-oh, whatcha gonna do?" Johanna's slasher smile returned. The District 1 girl didn't last long after that, and Johanna's warpath continued.

The remaining two tributes lasted one extra day as they hid, rested up, and then moved back to attack Johanna. She had rested up too, but the moment she saw her two enemies, she licked her lips, brandished her axes, and ultimately made quick work of them. The wind rustled through the trees as she stood over the lifeless corpses of the former career tributes, and basked in her victory. Johanna had become the 6th victor from District 7, and the 71st victor of the Hunger Games.

Johanna played a deceptive role that even District 5 would have been proud of. She was much more bawdy and vulgar in real life than she had acted in the games, only showing her true colors near the end after proving that she was not some sniveling coward like she had pretended to be. That was when the real beast was unleashed, and Johanna Mason showed who she truly was.

All wasn't well and happy for her after the games though. The Capitol admired her for her power and strength, but also for her appearance, and that usually meant coming there at the whims of these Capitolites to pleasure them as they saw fit. Not willing to fall into this category herself, the higher-ups in the Capitol made her pay for that insubordination, and like many victors before her, she suddenly and (not so) "mysteriously" found herself alone. While they often thought that this subdued rebellious victors, all it really did was make them angrier. They were just biding their time until the moment was right for them to make their move; and now Johanna Mason had joined that group as well.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)


	72. The 72nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Incidentally, this was also one of the last chapters I wrote considering how out of order the series was written in. Just like there are legendary and super memorable tributes that emerge from the games, there's gotta also be opposition in all things, and so there are consequently some that are... well, not quite as memorable. Whatever the case, I don't mean to say that it's a boring chapter or anything; but this is in no ways a harbinger of things to come or anything like that. In fact, after this, it gets crazy-better from here._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 72nd Annual Hunger Games**

For every great and memorable Hunger Games, there was one that was not so much. Fortunately for the Capitol, it wasn't a 50-50 split by any means, but as the old saying went "you can't win 'em all." Such was the nature of the 72nd Annual Hunger Games in this regard. It wasn't 'bad' by any means, but it was also not about to kick off another Golden Age either. Whatever the case, for the districts it was just another year of violence that would end with 23 innocent boys and girls lying dead in some death arena.

It was hard to really pinpoint what made the games lackluster this year though. The arena was designed using some of the same formulas from earlier years, and the tributes scored reasonably high as well. The victor was not a boring person either, and so perhaps it would just be a mystery for the ages.

Ethan Giles and Felicity Long emerged as representatives of District 1, although they were sketchy on joining Joker Goldsmith and Lyre Wilde from District 2. Perhaps that was part of the reason for this game's lack of success? There was no real way to tell. District 11 and 12 both united in the training center to go against the careers, seeking to capitalize on the potentially divided career pack, especially since it didn't look like they'd be roping in anyone from District 3 or District 4 this year.

Incidentally, the tributes from '11 and '12 also roped in Jennifer Cronister and Immanuel Cox from District 10, which, despite them all being poor and fairly rural districts, was actually a considerable rarity due to the different natures and behaviours of the districts and their tributes. Still, the pair from '10 managed to score an 8 and a 9 respectively, which was right up there with moderately-high scores that the two outer districts were picking up these days.

Seeing a six-strong opposition, Ethan, Felicity, Joker, and Lyre all put their egos aside and decided to join up and form the traditional career pack after all. Their high scores left promising signs for the games as they went in.

The arena that year seemed very urban, except with a lot fewer features than the other old urban ruin arenas from the past. However, instead of being drab and boring, the repetitive nature of the place was more to throw off tributes and remove their sense of direction. After the bloodbath, which claimed 8 tributes' lives, the arena managed to do exactly that. The grey buildings and gridlike "streets" made it difficult to keep track of one's position, which in turn made tributes stay put the moment they found any supplies.

After about four days of this, the Capitol decided to mix things up. They brought out their infamous humanoid mutts to attack the tributes, chasing many of them out of their metaphorical foxholes and forcing them to move around. The careers stood their ground, trying to keep some semblance of a camp, since the cornucopia had not really offered much apart from weapons and a few scant supplies this year. They managed to fend off most of these monsters, and managed to keep their camp intact for the time being. Their rivals from Districts 10, 11, and 12 were not so lucky. The monsters split them up in five different directions, and only the pair from District 10 were able to really stay together. By the time the creatures gave up their chase, Jennifer and Immanuel were definitely lost, and had no clue where their old allies were.

However, it seemed that these mutts were the only things that got the tributes to move. They seemed complacent in some of the old ruined buildings, although a couple of tributes would fight if they crossed paths with another boy or girl that wasn't their ally.

The Night Witches claimed Jennifer's life on day 10, and eliminated Ethan the following morning. The morning after that, Immanuel actually got chased right into Lyre, who nearly did him in, but he zigzagged and disappeared down a side alley, and the creature chasing him put its sights on Lyre instead, claiming her life with a surprise attack. She didn't actually die right away, but the surprise attack had done enough damage that it was not enough to fend the monster off.

Another 5 days passed with almost nothing happening, and the Gamemakers didn't want to have to kill off the remaining six tributes with another cataclysm or anything. So instead, they started destroying the arena from the outside in. This claimed two tributes' lives on Day 17, and on Day 18, Immanuel managed to take out another tribute as they both fled from the contracting borders. That just left him against the last two career tributes: Joker and Felicity. He knew that on a two-on-one that he probably wouldn't last more than 37 seconds against the two trained careers, and so he needed a different strategy. As he saw a pair of red glowing eyes in the dark, he knew what he had to do.

Using the same trick he pulled against Lyre, Immanuel lured a bunch of the humanoid mutts to his location before letting them give chase. He managed to outrun them just enough to stay out of their reach, but they were gaining on him. He didn't quite shake them off of his tail when he countered the other careers, but when they saw the threat, they treated the monsters like a much larger threat than the District 10 boy, especially since his district was pretty notorious for producing cannon fodder tributes year after year.

Unfortunately for them, this became their downfall. Immanuel had spent several days mapping out the mutts and their locations, and so he had amassed quite an army of them—and was uncannily lucky that none of them had noticed him during his poking around. As such, the humanoid mutts ended up doing in both Joker and Felicity, and as the two final cannons fired, the 21-day-long Hunger Games was finally over now that it had its winner. Immanuel became the 3rd victor from District 10, and the 72nd victor of the Hunger Games.

He was not a very big fan of running much after his games, since it often brought back memories of how he ran for his life against those horrifying humanoid muttations, but similar to other districts that rarely produced victors, Immanuel was hailed as a hero for managing to win a game that was stacked so heavily against him. He hoped he would not be the last one to do so, but only time would tell for sure—and so until then, he would just wait…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)


	73. The 73rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ A slightly early update in light of an exciting chapter to counterbalance the less memorable one of last week. This chapter has another "legacy tribute", and as such, this character has shown up and been mentioned a few times in my other works. Either way, considering that this chapter is the one right before a very likely hotly anticipated chapter, and so I aim to not let this one get outshined so easily. For information on the parent-victor of this game's victor, check out Chapter 46._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 73rd Annual Hunger Games**

Every now and again, there would be controversy surrounding one of more of the Hunger Games, be it for the arena design, the types of mutts, one or more of the tributes, or sometimes even sponsor gifts or supplies. The 73rd Annual Hunger Games sported one of those controversies, but not in the usual manner that people in the Districts or Capitol suspected.

Everyone knew the rumor that any children an existing victor had would have a strangely higher chance of getting their names chosen for the games, but since so many victors didn't even marry, it was difficult to discern whether or not this was true. However, victor Alice DeSiete knew that his life was one that would never leave the eyes of the Capitol for his own controversial and revolutionary stunts back during his games 27 years prior to current time. He was also one of the few that were bold enough to have children: two girls, Paige and Hanna, named after his district partner from his games, and that girl's lover who had been turned into an Avox after the games.

The elder of these two girls, Paige Alwin DeSiete, was reaped for the games, alongside Azur Cheve. Mentor Cecelia Sanchez was joined by Alice himself, who wished to mentor his own daughter. Since technically the rules did not say this was illegal (and the mentor limit was 2), Alice managed to get away with it without incident. He knew the ins and outs of the Capitol enough to know what would send them over the edge into becoming "unwinnable" tributes or individuals that needed to "disappear" from the districts, and he taught his children how never to quite cross that line.

While Paige and Azur didn't exactly form an alliance, both of them knew when they reached the training center that there were much bigger fish to fry than each other. District 1's Cress Thompson and Lazuli Takamatzu had teamed up with District 2's Varric Tracy and Aveline Vikta to form the annual pack of career tributes. Similarly, while there were volunteers from Districts 3 and 4, they did not join the careers, forming an alliance of their own. Sakthi Vel and Nasira Karim were the brains of the operation (being from District 3), whilst their district 4 counterparts were more the brawn, as volunteer career tributes themselves.

Paige was fairly certain her score was rigged when she only scored a 5, but as far as any of the others knew she was just pretending to be weak. The other careers scored 9s, 10s, and 11s and a 12, with District 3 and District 4 scoring only the slightest bit lower than that. Azur scored an 8 even, and Paige knew that she had done better than him. Whatever the case, she was not about to appeal for a higher score. She'd just have to win the games like her father did many years ago.

The arena for her this year was a field of icy glaciers, and the blood of 9 different tributes stained the white snow and ice red. The careers stayed in the safety of the cornucopia, while the other tributes had to rely on supplies or the rest of the environment to protect themselves against the cold.

These massive chunks of ice they were on were essentially like plateaus. Some had large cracks in them, with icy water down below. One slip off one of these icebergs and that tribute was going to freeze in the frigid waters below. Paige had to make sure that this did not "accidentally" happen to her. Armed with only a few warm clothes, a pair of broadswords, a backpack, and a grappling hook, she set out into the frigid wilderness. She was not even sure she could trust Azur, since she knew that he feared his partner (her) would get played as a favorite.  
In a way, she actually did. Rebels from the district pooled what they could together to send her a little bit of food and a grappling hook, figuring it could come in handy on these clifflike glaciers and ice sheets.

Bear mutts assaulted her hardly a few hours into the 2nd day, but her supreme fighting skills kept her alive. While many children from District 8 were not fighters, there were some that were staunch warriors. These were usually sons or daughters of known rebels, who covertly trained their children in combat in the event of getting reaped for the Hunger Games. Other districts that sometimes did this included District 11 and District 12, but while Paige knew they were all almost certainly rebellious, the odds were against the notion of her getting any allies from this deal—she was on her own.

As such, she dispatched the bear mutts with ease, and her survival skills learned in the training center kept her from freezing to death over the next few days like at least three more tributes did on day 5 (and another two on day 6). Similarly, she lured a couple of other tributes across the icy terrain, right towards traps or right into the reach of her swords. Paige was a competent fighter, especially for only being 16 when most of the remaining tributes were either 17 or 18.

The 14 deaths were soon 15 as the career pack closed in on and killed Azur, even after they found out that he did not know anything about where Paige had gone or what she was doing. For some reason the career pack had labeled her the biggest remaining threat, and wanted her blood. Naturally, Paige refused to allow that to happen, but knew that sooner or later there would be the inevitable confrontation. Until then though, she was going to try and give herself as strong of an advantage as she could for when the time came.

The Gamemakers weren't done throwing hazards her way, however. She was rudely awakened on day 9 by a large crack in the ice sheet, which was heading right for her, and about to cleave her camp in two. She snatched up what she could before jumping to one side, watching a few stranded supplies break away as the ice sheet split, and one half sunk and collapsed into the frigid sea below.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Paige got moving again. She was sponsored a spear that she threw through the body of a District 9 boy, but otherwise began moving back towards the center of the arena. She did actually manage to use her grappling hook as a rather powerful flail against Cress, hooking it into his chest before forcing him to stagger near the edge of the glacier they were on. As he tried to recover from his wound, Paige kicked him off into the abyss below, where he lost his life. Lazuli, who was the only one to witness this, attacked Paige in retaliation. Paige narrowly escaped with her life, but knew that the girl would be back for her later on.

Paige's skill as a fighter was definitely worth much more than the 5 she had scored in the arena. On day 14, she took out Varric and Aveline in a two-on-one swordfighting match, but only after they had dispatched two other tributes, leaving only three alive: herself, Lazuli, and a District 5 boy.

The District 5 boy was next to go, getting ambushed by Lazuli after nearly freezing to death anyways, and Paige knew that her time had come, and that this was the day of reckoning.

Or maybe day 15 would be, since the last two tributes did not see each other at all the rest of the evening. Day 16 came and went, and the arena felt like it was getting colder. Both tributes were bundled up against the cold with plenty of warm sponsor gifts, and it seemed that as much as the Capitol wanted Lazuli to win by virtue of her not being Paige, that people from the districts (including other rebellious districts apart from '8, such as '3, '11, and '12) now supported Paige.

Day 17 proved to be the real day of reckoning. Blades clashed as the two girls fought each other, but Lazuli's swings were so strong that it broke one of Paige's blades and eventually disarmed her of the other one, which fell down a crevice. Lazuli backed Paige towards the edge of the icy cliff they were battling on, but Paige retaliated. She threw the hilt of her broken blade at the girl, stunning her just long enough for Paige to pull out her grappling hook and swing it around. It hooked around Lazuli's weapon, and she wrenched the hook from the District 8 girl's hands. As Lazuli flung it aside, all Paige had left now was a small pair of hunting knives that she knew wouldn't be able to reach the District 1 girl unless Paige relieved her of her longsword, and the spear. As she brandished one of the blades and the spear, Lazuli responded by swinging her sword. Paige bent backwards, losing her footing, and tumbled off the cliff.  
She was down but not out, however. Plunging her knife into the ice, she stopped her fall, now dangling at least 100 feet from the freezing waters from which there was no return. Naturally, Lazuli was curious after waiting a few seconds for a cannon that didn't go off, but this proved to be her undoing. Paige's left hand was clenched tightly around the dagger sticking out of the ice, and her right held her spear. When she saw Lazuli, she lobbed the spear at her, impaling her right in the sternum, killing her almost immediately. Her cannon fired, and the games were over. Paige was now the 5th victor from District 8, and the 73rd victor of the games.

Using her 2nd dagger alongside her first one, Paige scaled the ice sheet as the hovercrafts came to claim her, and she knew that her family would only continue to be harassed by the Capitol for defying them not once, but twice. Alice was in hotter water now because he had outsmarted the Capitol, but so had his daughter. It was not enough to faze either of them, and even their post-games trauma was minimal as a result. While Paige's father had won by mostly having good allies in the games, Paige won by having good allies in the districts. With them remaining alive, their quest to sow seeds of rebellion continued, and a few years down the road, Paige defied the odds against the Capitol and had two children of her own that she raised and reared in her and her father's rebellious anti-Capitol ways. Perhaps someday, they would be able to partake of the fruits of those labors…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)


	74. The 74th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Welcome one, welcome all to the really rather pivotal 74th Annual Hunger Games! Those who have peeked at my other works know that they're all set in the same AU—one where Katniss wasn't able to volunteer for Prim, and thus the nightlock incident never happened, and similarly the revolution was not sparked (hence the name of my other series "Fire Without a Spark"). Whatever the case, most of the faces from Collins' 1st book are still in play. A couple unnamed Tributes (District 3 boy, Foxface) get names for the sake of clarity, but either way, here's Zulera's take on the notorious 74th Annual Hunger Games. For those of you who want a more detailed account of this chapter, Feel free to read and review my completed fanfic: "The 74th Annual Hunger Games"._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 74th Annual Hunger Games**

After the controversial victory of the previous year, the Capitol kept closer eyes and tabs on some of the outer districts as to prevent such a thing from happening again. It was not yet enough to rig the reapings, but Districts like 11, 8, and 12 did have Capitol forces watching for any signs.

Luckily for them, there appeared to be no such thing for the 74th Annual Hunger Games. The closest thing coming into being unusual was the reaping of District 12's Primrose Everdeen. Her older sister caused quite the stir at this revelation, and while it was later learned that her original intent was to volunteer, she reacted so violently that the Peacekeepers subdued her and denied her that opportunity. Thus, Primrose joined Peeta Mellark as representatives for District 12 that year.

On the other side of the country, Cato Salazar and Clove Kazera took the stage for District 2, both of them having actually fought other children for this opportunity to join the games. On the train ride to the Capitol, they watched recaps of the other reapings, noting the enthusiasm of fellow career tributes Marvel and Glimmer from District 1, and something unnerving about the dauntingly silent Thresh Dakara and Rue Keniye from District 11. Cato smelled a threat, while Clove could not get the little girl Rue out of her mind for the longest time.

For a while Clove was able to operate in some level of denial that the little District 11 girl wouldn't pose much of a threat, and for a few fleeting seconds her confidence grew. Her allies Marvel and Glimmer scored a 10 and a 9 respectively, while her partner Cato scored a perfect 12. She was a little jealous of him, but her own score of 11 was still the 2nd best.  
The other noteworthy scores came at the end with Thresh also scoring an 11, and little Rue scoring a 9. Peeta and Primrose both scored decently (10 and 8, respectively), and the career pack was fairly certain that those four would team up come the games tomorrow. The only other one to score higher than a 7 was District 5's Finch Crossley, a red-haired girl whose wily subtlety embodied an outsider's view of District 5 rather well.

10 Tributes lost their lives in the bloodbath the next morning, with Peeta striking one down as he fled with Prim into the woods. Clove and Cato naturally stuck around to kill off anyone who tried to snatch up the best weapons, but even this effort did not stop Rue from snatching a pair of jagged black daggers, killing two tributes, and evading the clutches of the careers as she scampered off into the wilderness. Clove's rivalry with Rue Keniye officially began at this point.

Prim unknowingly killed a boy later that evening after building a trap of punji sticks soaked in nightlock juice, which the boy stumbled into and died from his wounds. Peeta knew better than to let her check on it, and so he did it himself to avoid further traumatizing her. All he told her was that it got someone.

The nest couple days were pretty slow apart from one other death at Peeta's hand, but on day 4, the tributes were greeted with fireballs from the sky and from the trees. Clove was nearly put out of commission after a fireball struck her ankles and burned her feet, Glimmer got nicked in the arm and Marvel barely avoided getting his hair set ablaze. Rue was hardly any luckier, getting struck in the back with a blast of fire. Fortunately, she had been nearing a lake, and the fireball threw her into the water anyways, minimizing damage which would have otherwise been catastrophic and likely deadly into just tender skin and a large stinging burn.

The careers retreated back to the cornucopia to plan their next move, while Rue waited in her pond. Sure enough, Prim showed up, and as a seasoned healer, she knew just the trick to help ease Rue's burns and wounds. Unfortunately, their time of peace only lasted a night before their camp was sprung upon by the careers, who had also killed another tribute on their way through the woods. Peeta held them off long enough to let Prim and Rue escape, and he managed to escape as well into the woods without sustaining too many injures. Clove, who was fixated on Rue, led the career pack through the woods to try and catch the tiny girl who was nimbly leaping through the trees as if she was born for it.

Eventually they hit a dead end, so to speak, and the careers surrounded them. Cato, Marvel, and even Glimmer lacked the lightness or dexterity to climb the branches without breaking them, and with Rue having the high ground, she could likely attack them to keep them down. Only Clove was small and fast enough to give it a shot, but this only earned her a kick to the face from Rue, who was luckily not wearing shoes at the time. She essentially swore to drink Rue's blood at some point, and while this terrified Prim, Rue remained unfazed.

"Hey," she whispered to her District 12 buddy, "the next time there's some kind of diversion at all, I want you to make a run for it; got it?"

"A-alright…" Prim mumbled, still frightened by the four careers glaring up from under them. Cato had initially suggested torching the tree, but that would start another fire and Clove was vehemently against bringing more fire into the picture.

Luck was with Rue that night, as Finch Crossley crossed her path. The two scuffled in the tree before Finch lost her footing. The racket woke up the careers, and Finch, in her vulnerable position, received a spear to the back from Marvel, while Prim used this diversion to escape as Rue had ordered.

"You're next, '11." Clove warned as the careers settled down. It was only after they did that, that Rue made her move. Spotting a tracker-jacker nest not far from where she sat, she worked on quietly loosening the branch with one of her knives, making it so the nest was ready to fall, and only then did she rest.

The nest morning, she took the throwing star she had gotten from one of Clove's missed attacks, loaded it into her slingshot, and fired it at the already hanging tracker-jacker nest, and the result was just as chaotic as she had suspected it would be. Glimmer did not survive, and even Rue got stung enough that she was hallucinating to the point of being out of commission.

Since the careers were also out of commission, the next couple days were reasonably silent, although the careers did stumble across the boy from District 3, Franklin Sterling, who joined their group after promising to dig up and arm the mines around the career's camp. This would be a fatal mistake.

Using little more than a large rock and her trusty slingshot, Rue managed to detonate the entire string of mines as well as the mountain of supplies the careers kept in their camp. Her timing was particularly apt, considering that the careers had been about to murder Peeta after Cato inflicted a grievous wound to his leg. Rue got blasted into some brambles and knocked unconscious, coming to a few hours later and realizing that the blast had knocked the hearing out of her right ear. In his anger, Cato blamed Frank for not being a good enough guard and broke his neck on the spot, reducing the tribute count to 7.

Two announcements from the Capitol mixed things up a bit more. The first one, which sounded almost too good to be true for Districts 2, 11, and 12, was that if two tributes from the same district survived until the end, they would both be able to go home. The 2nd announcement was that there would be a feast at the cornucopia to offer vital supplies to the tributes remaining. Clove and Cato decided to wait till sundown to capitalize on that, while Marvel went on an early hunt. This became a mistake, as Rue dropped down on him from the trees and ended his life immediately.

Knowing that they were now outnumbered, Clove devised a more devious scheme against Prim and Rue and anyone else who tried to go to the feast. Cato took the District 2 bag while Clove waiting in hiding for Prim and Rue.  
Sure enough, they came to try and get what they assumed would be medicine for Peeta, and were right. What they did not expect, however, was Clove waiting for them, and she managed to mortally wound Primrose. Before Clove or Cato could celebrate though, Thresh, who had been conspicuously absent for most of the games, barreled out of nowhere and attacked them, slamming Clove to the ground. Before he could finish destroying her skull, Cato interrupted him with a grievous wound, and Clove landed the finishing blow. Just like that, it was over.

The next morning they managed to pick off Peeta, who despite his medicine was still not in his full prime, and that just left Rue standing between them and both of them going home. The Gamemakers' rule change was still in effect after all.

The hunt for Rue would not last long: she ran past them, trailed by dozens of hungry wolf-mutts that would likely rip any and all of them to shreds if they could. The three tributes scrambled to the cornucopia, where Rue ended up doing something Clove would have never suspected: she surrendered.

"So you're giving up just like that?" Clove gawked.

"There are two of you and one of me." Rue reasoned, "I'd rather die swiftly and painlessly than let you two draw it out and me die slowly and painfully.

As much as Clove wanted to slowly eviscerate Rue all throughout the game, seeing her self-proclaimed enemy (in a very one-sided rivalry) surrender just like that. Surprisingly, Clove honored Rue's request, and then she and Cato assumed the Games were over. However, rather than announce the winners, the Gamemakers revoked the rule change, forcing Cato and Clove to turn on each other. Both of them agreed to fight it out, and so they did. Cato's strength nearly overcame Clove's speed, but the latter won out as Cato slipped from the cornucopia and into the wolf mutts. However, Clove refused to let these monsters tear her best friend apart, and so she jumped down there and began fighting them off as well. Knowing that if they let the monsters continue, they would likely have no victor at all, the Capitol called them off and made them disappear, leaving Clove alone with Cato.

"Make it fast…" Cato whispered, clearly in pain from his wounds. Clove gritted her teeth and nodded, doing just that. She cut Cato's throat swiftly and cleanly, and ended the games with a final cannon shot. Clove became the 13th victor from District 2, and the 74th victor of the Hunger Games.

Clove Kazera was unstable for a long time after her games, and needed to be on sedatives for a while. She did wind up having two children of her own years down the line, and it was rumored that they were part of the reason Clove stepped up her "maturity" game, for eventually she would calm down, but her grudge against the Capitol had founded itself the moment the Gamemakers had revoked their rule change and forced her to kill her best friend. While she was one of a very few in her district, Clove was proof that there was discontent with the system even in District 2. What became of this was for time to determine…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)


	75. The 75th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Due to this AU, there was no Katniss threat to inspire the Capitol to rig the quell to reap the past victors. As such the twist was different this time, but a few things remain the same. The arena is the same one from 'Catching Fire', although a few of the unknown wedges have been given hazards of their own. Similar to the previous chapter, I have a completed, full-length account of this one as well, and anyone interested can find it on my page, called "The 75th Annual Hunger Games". From here on out, we're in the AU portion of the fic, but hopefully that doesn't deter people from continuing to read it. The games that come after this one are among the most intense ones, after all._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 75th Annual Hunger Games**

Every 25 years the Capitol would introduce a special twist to the standard rules of the Hunger Games, making the games more diabolical than they already were. The first of these Quarter Quells had forced the districts to choose their own victors, and the 2nd one had reaped 48 tributes instead of the standard 24. This 3rd Quarter Quell was a reminder that no one was safe from the retribution of the Capitol, and that turning 18 was not necessarily a ticket out of the games. This year, the tributes would be reaped from a pool of citizens aged between 17 and 25. The logic for this from a ratings viewpoint was that these would be much fiercer games, and, considering the victor of these games wound up scoring 12 kills, this wound up being a truth.

The 75th Annual Hunger Games had the world of Panem watching. Eyes were fixated on District 12 again, given their notoriety with the last two Quarter Quells. District 12 had produced both of their victors: Laurel Fox and Haymitch Abernathy—from these two years. Would they managed to do this again, or would the streak finally end? Time would tell.

Racked with guilt from the previous year where she had failed to protect her sister, Katniss Everdeen watched the reapings. At 17, she would be one of the youngest in the event that her name was picked, but at this point she had lost so much that she hardly even cared. She didn't think anything would matter at all to her, and so when "Naisha Togisala" was called up, she hardly cast a glance her way.

However, she was later glad she did. This was a single mother, and was notably pregnant—which meant her husband had recently died. There was a dual sense of tragedy here for Katniss—for one, if somehow that baby survived, he or she would never know their father… but worse was the notion that this poor woman was not going to stand a chance in the games. As such, Katniss uttered four words that she never thought she'd hear herself say…

"I volunteer as tribute!"

And so it was. She was accompanied by a man named Levi Dryden, and soon they were off to the Capitol for three weeks of training: another minor rule twist, designed to amplify the intensity of the Quell.

Katniss focused on archery, which was one of her boldest talents, although she did also try her hand with knives and daggers for close combat. She was used to handling these as well, since she used to gut and skin animals that she had trapped and hunted back home.

To her slight surprise, her antics drew attention from Tarin McNair and Titania Summerdream from District 1, and shortly after, drew in Wallace Stone and Winter Ramirez from District 2: A solid, powerful career pack comprised of young adults between 23 and 25. In fact, it was only after this point that Katniss realized she was by far the youngest one there. Everyone else was at least 21. Katniss had no interest in alliances though, not wishing to make friends with anyone that would either kill her or be killed by her once they got thrown into the arena. The careers also pulled Surge Santiago and Elsa Zincke from District 3 into their posse, meaning that the commonplace '1/'2/'3 career pack was back on.

Despite this, she was still drawn towards Jackson Tong and Vex Greenwood from District 11, particularly the latter of the two, who somehow managed to warm up to Katniss. Katniss didn't want to admit it, but the idea of killing Vex in the opening minutes didn't exactly sit well with her. She was already proven to be very dangerous, considering that only Winter Ramirez scored a 12 in training among the careers. Katniss was the only other person to score a 12, and did so in record time by pulling a stunt that no tribute in 75 years had dared try. She had walked in, grabbed the nearest bow, and shot an apple right out of a roast pig's mouth from the training room, up into the balcony where the judging Gamemakers were feasting and otherwise merrymaking. It froze them all real quick, but Katniss walked out before they could make much more of a reaction. As such, she earned a 12.

This did not faze the career pack necessarily; instead it just made them wary of Katniss and label her as a dangerous enemy—and a dangerous enemy she was. 3 of the 8 bloodbath deaths were by her hands, as she seized a bow and raced off into the jungle-like wilderness that stood around them. The cornucopia was stocked with nothing but weapons: and the stony paths surrounded by seawater would not be places to linger around. It did not take long for her to be sponsored a peculiar item: a compass. Knowing a sense of which way was north was not as important as just remembering where things were, but Katniss knew that it would be important after he saw the note attached.

"_It's almost 12 o' clock…"_

Hardly a few minutes later, Katniss saw lightning striking the highest tree in the arena. She fled eastward in a clockwise direction, stopping for a rest which didn't last long. A single gong sounded, and suddenly blood rain descended upon them. It was in this moment that Katniss realized what her sponsor message meant, and what the gimmick of this deadly arena was: It was a clock, with each of the 12 "wedges" sporting a different monster or arena hazard.

While it was nothing personal against Katniss, the Gamemakers didn't want her getting oriented with the arena this early on, and so during Vex and Katniss' travels, they unleashed a slightly dizzying fog in her area that was odorless and colorless. As such, what they thought was the 12th wedge was actually the 5th wedge. This was the wedge that Katniss wanted to remember after she realized what it was—but at the moment, it was a terrifying ordeal, considering that every day at 5AM and 5PM, it was shrouded in complete darkness.

By this point, Katniss had already slain half a dozen tributes, and so the surviving career pack had taken to calling her "Black Death", based on the color of the uniform (a mostly black outfit which would become the standard fare from this year's games onward), and the fact that she was responsible for more than half of the tributes' deaths so far.

While Katniss was not concerned about herself getting killed, her survival instincts kept her from doing anything stupid. She remained extremely supportive of Vex, hoping to let that girl go home, but of course, the odds never seemed to be in Katniss' favor. The initial attack on the careers that would end the games started out well, with Katniss scoring her 7th and 8th kills by killing Elsa and Tarin, but then it went south quickly after Winter managed to overpower Katniss while Vex fought Surge. In a moment of selflessness, Vex disrupted winter by throwing a knife into her side, but this was all the time Surge needed to fatally plunge his knives into her gut. Katniss instantly responded by shooting an arrow through his skull, but Winter managed to stagger away as Katniss raced to Vex's side.

The wound was definitely mortal, and Vex knew it too. She gave Katniss one final request, which Katniss found odd. Vex asked Katniss to sing, and, odd as it sounded, Katniss did exactly that, parting ways with her best friend with one final lullaby.

Seizing a pair of black daggers from Vex's hands, she went on a rampage, seeking out the final three tributes in the hopes of ending the games once and for all. she murdered Titania on her way to confront the District 2 pair, and managed to ambush Wallace as well, marking him as her 11th kill. Taking a deep breath, she rushed towards the center of the arena, figuring that if Winter was not nearby, that she would be there. Sure enough, she was waiting for Katniss on the beach, throwing knives in hand. She had recovered from most of her injuries from earlier, and both tributes knew that this 6th and final day of the games would be the end. There were only a few minutes left and it was do or die.

Winter put Katniss on the defensive as her first knife grazed Katniss' left arm and nearly took out her eye. The 2nd one was aimed right at Katniss' bowstring, successfully severing it and causing it to lash out and slice Katniss' right cheek open. Without staggering, Katniss pulled out Vex's jagged daggers and the two tributes went at it in melee combat. Both stayed on their toes, and seemed to be equally matched until Katniss decided to try a do-or-die stunt. She pretended to stagger and stumble, and to her surprise and good fortune, Winter fell for it. She lunged in for a finishing blow, only for Katniss to counter it and kill Winter herself. She was Katniss' 12th and final kill, and the games ended with a final shot from the cannon. Katniss was the 3rd victor from District 12, and the 75th victor of the Hunger Games.

She had no feelings one way or the other about the nickname "Black Death", but her world was a painful one full of trauma and regret, as she reminded herself that no matter how many people she killed, it would not bring her sister back. This was a hard pill for her to swallow, and as such she remained mostly alone in her Victor Village after her games. She did not realize, however, that the little girl Naisha Togisala had given birth to after being spared from the games, would grow up to become something more—and surprisingly, someone that would be able to bond with Katniss a decade and a half down the line…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)


	76. The 76th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we enter full-on AU territory as the Quarter Quell goes off without a hitch, and the arena remains intact. Hopefully people will enjoy these parts of the games as much as they enjoyed my semi-canonical earlier chapters. Some of these victors appear in my various other works, including the victor of this year's games that shows up in one of my other current WIPs. I try to keep the continuity between my stories intact, y'know. Either way, here comes chapter 76 out of 99._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 76th Annual Hunger Games**

After the notorious Quarter Quell, which had Capitol fans whispering even a year after the fact about how it had made history with Katniss Everdeen's incredible kill record, the Gamemakers were not sure if they would be able to top it. Sometimes there would simply be games that did not hold a candle up to previous ones. As much as their egotistical minds hated to admit it, the games did not always improve after each progressive year.

The 76th Annual Hunger Games was one of these examples. Far from being a boring game, per se; it was simply not as fast-paced as the 7-day Quarter Quell, and the arena was not as intense. It was definitely going to keep tributes on their toes, and the tributes from the urban districts such as '3, '5, '6, and '8 would definitely have an advantage in these city-like ruins that were spread out in front of them as they rose from their pedestals.

The careers were standard stock, scoring 9s and 10s while arming themselves with large swords and equally large egos, but they would face competition. There were not really any other alliances, but the urban ruins meant that tributes like District 5's Celeste Kalas and Johnny Stallings, who scored a 7 and an 8, would be a larger threat than before, as would District 3's Zafar and Laksha, who scored 9s.

Sure enough, once the bloodbath was over, 10 tributes lay dead before they could even explore the derelict ruins, but perhaps this was for the best. The careers took control of the cornucopia for its weapon and supplies, where the abundance indicated that there was plenty of weaponry and food to go around.

One of the first observations was that rodents roamed the arena, and they tended to be aggressive unless they had food. Johnny and Celeste used this to their advantage to wander close to the arena. There, they dug up the mines, while the careers stayed holed in the golden horn out of view in the darkness. The scurrying of the rats that kept them occupied was enough to keep them from hearing Johnny digging up the mines and tossing them to his partner. As engineers back home, the two of them would worry about reactivating them after they were safe.

They got about a dozen of them before the careers noticed them. They gave chase, but the maze-like ruins of the city helped Celeste and Johnny escape. After the noise of the pursuing tributes had died down (since none of the careers this year were exactly apt at stealth), they got to work rigging things up and preparing to build traps.

However, similar to the design of the Capitol, there were traps and mutts in the ruins of this city as well. A tribute lost his life on day 3 from falling through the ground into what appeared to be an old sewer system. The fall didn't kill him, but the giant lizard mutts that roamed the underground tunnels did. His partner was a lot warier after that, and somehow, word spread.

These games went much slower, with even the careers beginning to resort to traps to protect what supplies they still had at the cornucopia. They didn't dig up any of the mines (although the remaining dozen or so did disappear on day 6), but they rigged up the golden horn in such a way to make it nearly impenetrable. After all, in ruins of a city, there were building materials everywhere, from planks to stones to cinder blocks to crates and anything else in between.

Another entire week passed, leaving 10 tributes alive by day 13. No one assumed that it would all end in one fell swoop, but the Gamemakers were hard at work to get a bit more action. Deciding to force the careers out of their comfort zone rather than the other tributes that had spent their days fighting mutts and avoiding hazards, they sent a slew of red-eyed humanoids to attack them. The pair from District 2 recognized them as the affectionately-nicknamed "Night Witches": humanoid muttations that the Capitol pulled out every now and again, especially in urban or urbanesque environments.

Even though these creatures were also armed, they were no match for the careers, although they did manage to chase them out from their camp (surprisingly without triggering any of the careers' traps) and out into the urban wilderness. Zafar and Laksha noticed them passing, but laid low to avoid being seen by them or by the pursuing Night Witches. The reason the careers were on the defensive this time was because while both parties were armed, these mutts were more than willing to slash and bite at their quarries with their razor-sharp claws and teeth—features that most tributes lacked.

While Zafar and Laksha did not take advantage of their fleeing foes, Johnny and Celeste did. they calculated the position of the fleeing careers, before timing their own path so that it looked like they were fleeing from something to the right as well. It led the careers left, away from District 5's camp, and towards some of their more nefarious traps.  
Right as they were about to come into range of the explosives, Celeste and Johnny doubled back, racing right through the Night Witches as they continued to give chase. Right as they realized what happened, the District 5 pair were far enough away that as the leader misstepped and triggered one of the mines, he and his comrades were blown into oblivion, as well as the Night Witches that pursued them. Two of these creatures survived, critically injured, although Celeste all but waltzed up to them and put them out of their misery.

"Nice job," she and Johnny bumped fists as four cannons went off. That just left the pair from District 3 and a couple other wanderers that, if their memory served them right, were from District 6 and District 8. With the careers gone, however, they headed to the cornucopia to see if anything could be salvaged.

It took them 2½ days to actually find the cornucopia since they had not really kept track of their position all this time, but by morning 16 when they actually reached the golden horn, two more cannons had gone off: one for the District 8 boy, and one for Zafar from District 3.

They had been lucky to not trigger the careers' traps the first time they reached the cornucopia, but on day 17 as Celeste was returning from exploring the arena, she triggered one, and her body was peppered with darts almost immediately. A cannon fired, and Johnny treaded much more carefully after that. Deciding not to take a risk, he took what supplies he needed and ventured out into the wilderness to try and find the last two tributes.

The games did seem to be dragging a bit, because Johnny found himself getting chased in a very particular direction, where he ran into an also fleeing Laksha. The mutts that were pursuing them seemed to vanish after the two tributes met, and they began duking it out. Johnny avoided Laksha's projectiles and went in with his club to take her down, succeeding in this endeavor. That just left the boy from District 6.

Johnny discovered him living the high life, surrounded by crates and supplies, and so he launched an ambush. Throwing his club right at the boy's face, he missed by inches, instead striking his arm. Johnny raced in, grabbed one of the crates as the boy reached for his weapon. Essentially, what happened next involved Johnny basically bludgeoning him to death with a crate, before standing triumphantly over his opponent. After 19 days of slow-paced urban warfare, Johnny Stallings became the 9th victor from District 5, and the 76th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Johnny's success was his network of knowing the arena before his confrontations, and even back home, he knew so much of the layout of District 5 that he was often times the person people came to if they needed to know who or what went where. Like most victors from District 5, he remained fairly silent and gave off that mysterious aura, but mysterious or not, no one would really argue the success the district enjoyed in winning the games. Sometimes they suffered droughts, but at this point, even if they went 20 years without a victor, they'd still be the 3rd most successful district. Johnny aimed to keep it that way…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)


	77. The 77th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _While a few chapters in this area were among the last ones I had written, this one was actually one of the first ones I wrote, because this was one of the earliest established victors in my AU-canon. As such, this character appears or gets mentioned in a great deal of my fanfics, and even makes a cameo in "the 75th Annual Hunger Games" during Katniss' victory tour. Similarly, this is a candidate chapter for a potential full-length Hunger Games story in the distant future. Also, a long time ago I got requests for a game where a 12-year-old won. Welp, I promised a chapter like that, and since I'm a writer of my word... I shall deliver._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 77th Annual Hunger Games**

Every now and again, there would be a Hunger Games straight out of the books of legend. The 77th Annual Hunger Games was exactly one of these, being well-remembered both for the intriguing electrical arena that it presented, but also for the enormous upset that Panem realized as the games came to a sudden and surprising end.

Over the years, tributes became more cunning and more powerful, even from the outer districts. It was rumored that places like 8, 11, and 12 were learning fighting tricks to spur a rebellion rather than perform well in the games, but that remained to be seen. Either way, Panem could not argue with the latest trend, which included tributes performing better, and everyone, including tributes from Districts like 12 and 11, scoring fairly high. This year in particular, everyone had their eyes on the career pack, which, apart from the usual pairs from District 1 and District 2, had also roped in District 4, as well as the cunning pair from District 3.

Led by Samson and Melissa from District 2, the career pack was strong and fierce, proving with their numerous weapon skills that they planned on dominating the arena. All eight of them were either 17 or 18, except for the girl from District 3—a tiny little kid barely a day older than 12. Ikki Ortolani was an unassuming child; the 2nd of four, 79 pounds, 4'7", and fairly quiet. Her birthday had actually been only a few days before the Reaping, which had qualified her as eligible for the 77th games. She was recruited at the request of her partner Rodney Burns, who had the little girl prove her worth by demonstrating a rather striking sense of brilliance and genius, as coupled with an ability to construct electrical contraptions from scraps, and her ability to detect traps. Knowing that the outlying kids were famous for such things, the careers agreed to let her in.

In truth, the entire career pack, including Rodney, figured that Ikki was going to get offed in the opening seconds, but the tiny girl's cute charm and innocent demeanor had them at least humor her for a while. Besides, she proved that she was clever, and so if she did survive, she could very well be an asset to the career alliance when the games began.

These theories were further proved, as everyone from Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 all scored 10 or higher in the private sessions. Ikki scored a 4, but later admitted that she did not display her true potential. This was a bold move on her part, considering that only Leske, the boy from District 4, actually believed her. But, they were not going to go back on their word—they had no reason to kill someone who had sworn their alliance. However, even Rodney agreed that when it came time for the career pack to break up, Ikki would be the first to go.

When they were faced with the arena, however, even Districts 4, 2, and 1 started to wonder if they were at a slight disadvantage. The landscape was rocky and cloudy, and the ground was littered with ore and metal shards. Very few conventional weapons existed at the cornucopia, and some tributes knew that this would make things challenging for them. The careers were not among these. They reached the conventional weapons first and slaughtered more than half a dozen tributes (8, to be exact) at the bloodbath, ending Day 1 spectacularly. One of the kills had even been landed by Ikki in the bloodbath, although most of them were done by Melissa and Samson.

Over the next few days, the tributes learned the wiles of the arena. It was very electrically oriented, given the storms and clouds that dominated the skies—which meant that the District 5 pair would need to be taken down early. The careers used Ikki as their spy and scout, knowing that she was small and difficult to notice most of the time, but it remained an effective way to fish out the other tributes. Ikki was gone for several hours at a time, but she always returned with news of a tribute. At one point she was sponsored a large coil of wire and a pair of rubber gloves. With these, she would construct her traps, and she used some of the large metal shards as rods to make them even more advanced. Rodney sometimes helped her, but it was clear that the plucky District 3 girl knew what she was up to.

A couple times, cannons fired while Ikki was gone, but she would return with news that a tribute had fallen by another tribute, or in two other cases, by one of her traps. The kid was clearly a genius, and the other careers started to catch onto this.

"She's smarter than we thought," the little 12-year-old heard the others whispering late one night when they assumed she was asleep. Ikki remained utterly motionless, her hair not even fluttering. The thunder from the storms made it even more ominous as the others spoke, but she waited and listened.

"well, then as soon as we off the others," Leske suggested, "We turn on her and drop her. Then we can turn on each other and have the proper fight we're known for."

"She's clearly not a fighter," Rodney admitted, "so as long as we can keep her in our sights after we get rid of the others, we should be fine."  
"I'm an archer anyways," Melissa reminded them, "if she runs, I shoot."

They came to that agreement fairly early on, but that did not faze Ikki at all. There was still plenty more game time to burn yet.

By Day 6, there were still 10 tributes left. The two that were not part of the career pack were the boy from '12 and the girl from '11. The former's partner had died from one of Ikki's traps, and Leske had gotten the latter in a 'raid'. The latter two knew they were being hunted, and they laid elaborate traps to try and catch the others off guard, but Ikki was able to detect them. She acted as if she was still unaware of the plan her "allies" had against her, and worked with them until the bitter end, scouting out the arena for them until that District 12 boy and District 11 girl were both dead. By this time, it was the ending of day 8. Clouds ruled the sky, throwing lightning at sporadic intervals.

"Ikki… your time has come." The entire career pack, Rodney included, advanced on Ikki, who backed away, but held her ground.

"Whatdya mean?" Ikki tilted her head, feigning innocence.

"There's just the eight of us... and this is where we turn on one another—starting with you." They replied, closing in.

"I don't think so," Ikki retorted, before scampering off at a remarkable speed, barely dodging one of Melissa's arrows. The careers gave chase, but that was exactly what Ikki wanted them to do. She led them to a corner of the arena, where they all suddenly realized why Ikki had been gone for hours at a time. They found themselves in the middle of an elaborate construct full of wire, metal rods, and a lightningrod in the middle.

"Two words…" Ikki smirked. "Rubber gloves"

The wire she held was wrapped around the lightningrod no less, and right as she chanted this, she lobbed it up into the air. Lightning struck it, travelling down the wire and into the rod, which then spread through the wire towards the others—and the tributes as well.

The resulting effect was rather surprising. The lightning struck each tribute except Ikki (who had prepared specifically against this trap of hers), zigzagging back and forth between them until each of them had been fried and dead.

"Never mess with an electrician when you're surrounded by lightning." She quipped, and with that, 7 cannons went off, one for each of the careers, scoring Ikki her 4th through 10th kills. Ikki had become the 7th victor from District 3, and the 77th victor of the Hunger Games.

More than any of that, however, Ikki Susanna Ortolani had become a legend. Not only was she the youngest tribute to ever win the games, but she was the only one under the age of 14 to do so—and at the tender age of 12, no less. Despite her training score of 4, she had not only managed to survive with luck, but also skill, scoring a ridiculously high 10 kills in the games that had ended so suddenly. It was literally the upset of the century (and would continue to be—no games between 1 and 99 had seen such an unexpected turn of events), with the tiny little 12-year-old with negligible odds against the mighty career tributes, coming home the victor.

Despite killing several children (even if all but the one in the bloodbath had been from elaborate traps), Ikki was not terribly traumatized. She was a little nervous of others for a while, and did rig up her room with electrical traps (though mostly just shocking ones rather than deadly ones) for a while to warn her of anyone else's presence, but eventually, even these tricks subsided, and she lived peacefully with her parents, her older sister, and two younger brothers. No one dared underestimate the cunning and genius of Ikki Ortolani after that. She had made history and had gained respect from the Capitol and every single district (even if some were grudging). Few other victors could ever say the same…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)


	78. The 78th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _I suppose one of the interesting highlights of this chapter is that the sister of the previous year's victor is a character in these games. Unfortunately, it does not end quite as well for her. Either way... the arena was really fun to design, and so there's at least that going for us here. I can also promise that next week's chapters are going to be quite intriguing._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 78th Annual Hunger Games**

The nation of Panem was still in a frenzied uproar over the notion of how a little 12-year-old had somehow managed to not only win the Hunger Games, but also slay 10 other tributes in the process in an extremely elaborately crafted trap and scheme. It would be a year that forever lived in infamy as the greatest upset in Hunger Games history.

As such, the Gamemakers were a little frazzled during the preparation for the 78th Annual Hunger Games, with all of them wondering how they would top a game that memorable and that legendary. Perhaps they wouldn't, and would just have to acknowledge that this year might just have to live in the shadow of its predecessor. They could make an exciting arena, but if the tributes weren't as colorful as last year or any particular year, they would have trouble standing out.

Most of the tributes did seem to be rather standard fare this year, falling into archetypes that had formed over the decades based on the general behavior of 77 years of tributes: District 1 and District 2 were strong, gung-ho careers; District 3 and District 5 produced conniving tricksters that would likely excel at traps or constructed weapons and that would potentially join the careers; District 6, District 7, and District 8 producing various fighters of varied strength; District 4 producing wildcard tributes that could range from bloodbath fodder to deadly careers to anything in between; and District 11 and District 12 producing dangerous, subversive survivalists. Even District 9 and District 10 didn't exactly look like bloodbath fodder, and the boy from '10 scored fairly high in training no less.

Perhaps there wouldn't be a bloodbath at all this year. It would certainly make the 78th games memorable in some way, as to not get overshadowed by the year before. Maybe the arena would do that instead. Time would tell.

If anything, a lot of people began throwing bets towards the tributes from Districts 3, 5, and 6 once they saw the arena. Inura Ortolani from District 3 seemed particularly promising, considering that she was the older sister of victor Ikki Ortolani from the year before. Perhaps District 3 would join its comrades from '1 and '2 as a district to have back-to-back victors. The arena would play a part for better or for worse. It looked like a massive military base built in the middle of the ocean. Heavy rains and torrential waves lashed at the support columns (for the base was elevated several feet above the water) but the supports stood firm and were unlikely to collapse. It was clear, however, that if anyone fell off of any of the walkways or railings that they wouldn't be coming back—not even District 4.

Josh Mauze, the boy from District 10 who had scored rather high, began taunting and showing off on his pedestal during the countdown, only for the neighboring tribute, Ryuka Satoru from District 6, to feign throwing his boot at him. Josh flinched only for a second, and lost his footing, slipping off his podium and getting blown to smithereens. Ryuka as well as Sandria Rielley, the girl from District 2 who was on the other side of Josh's pedestal, got sprayed with some of his blood and remains, but neither of them were terribly fazed, for both of them anticipated getting rather bloody in the next few minutes anyways.

To their surprise however, there weren't any weapons in the cornucopia. The supplies were mostly just packs and sacks of food. A few of the more violent tributes tried to bludgeon other tributes with them but all it really did was make a mess of the food inside. Dwayne Cobalt, an enormous boy from District 1, did attempt to strangle the smallest tribute, 14-year-old Aspen Hinoka from District 7, but she managed to struggle out of his grasp and escape.

As a result of this mayhem, there really wasn't a bloodbath to everyone's surprise (except perhaps the Gamemakers), and so only 1 death happened that morning due to Josh Mauze's carelessness and desire for attention.

It was lucky that the arena was complex and full of winding rooms and hallways, for it needed to handle more tributes than most other years short of the 2nd Quarter Quell (where twice the usual number of tributes were reaped). 23 tributes escaped the cornucopia that morning and scattered throughout the various levels of floors of the structure they were fighting in.

Tributes discovered weapons in some of the old rooms or corridors of the arena, and further exploration proved that the arena was essentially a large rectangle. The base was about three stories high in most places, with access to the rooftop as well. Ryuka and his partner Dento got to work on building weapons of their own rather than searching for some. There was a lot of technology in some of these deserted (albeit very well-lit) corridors, and the two of them figured they could put it to some use.

They weren't the only ones with that idea though: District 5 and District 3 were on it as well, albeit in different parts of the arena.

The first 5 days were the "bloodbath" so to speak, with ten different tributes dying either from electrical malfunctions, other tributes who had discovered weapons somewhere in the base, or a couple of unfortunate wanderers from District 9 and District 7 got attacked by the pair from District 11, who had climbed underneath the walkways and support beams and ambushed the tributes as they wandered over the area.

The rain and the torrential waves below them continued to rage on day after day, but the structural integrity of the base held up without so much as a tremor, and the insides of the base were high and dry. The tributes were safe from these hazards, although they were not safe from each other. Dwayne, Sandria, and their partners recruited the pair from District 5 to join their career alliance (not leaving them much of a choice either way), and together, the six of them wiped out the tributes from Districts 3, 4, and 8, including Inura, thus crushing her dreams of one-upping her sister.

All the while, Ryuka found a vantage point near the roof of the arena, and remained hidden there as he watched face after face appear in the sky. He hid himself at the top of a flight of stairs under a metal canopy that allowed him to look out upon most of the roof, and glance down the stairs in case someone tried coming up.

On day 10 he saw Dento's face in the sky, leaving only 6 other tributes apart from himself. Using some of the metallic resources he had collected from the arena, he set up a tripod and essentially built a giant ballista-like crossbow with a rotating turret and a scope. He secretly went around and started rigging up certain hallways of the arena to try and force out some of the other tributes, and because of his efforts to try and bring some of the others together, the Capitol didn't stop him.  
Ryuka used his giant crossbow like a sniper, taking out the rest of the career pack, and drawing the remainder of the tributes towards him. He ran out of bolts as another tribute came into view: Aspen. She threw her axe at his weapon, disabling it and causing the whiplash to knock Ryuka back. As he came to his senses, he glanced over and noticed that she had disappeared. However, he didn't have to worry about her attacking him, for she had triggered one of his traps on the way up to the rooftop where he had hidden and waited. Ryuka's tactics, however cheap, had ultimately paid off, for they had just made him the 6th victor from District 6, and the 78th victor of the games.

While it was not as notorious as the previous year, the 78th Hunger Games managed to become memorable for its lack of a bloodbath, and for its unique arena. Ryuka did not gain too much notoriety as a victor, and so the Capitol left him alone, where he lived peacefully in District 6, doing drugs like most of his district's citizens did, and otherwise returning to a fairly normal life. The games to him had just been business—little more.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)


	79. The 79th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _For some reason, I recall there being a funny story about the inspiration for these games, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Whatever the case, here's the 79th installment of the games. Kind of like in real life, the 80s get a little strange and crazy, but we'll deal with them when we get there. It should also be noted that there will not be a chapter on Friday, but it will instead be posted around the same time on Saturday._  
_That aside, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 79th Annual Hunger Games**

Even a couple years after the fact, the Capitol was still ablaze with how incredible it had been to see a 12-year-old annihilate her competition and take home the Victor's Crown. Not that the games the year after had been shabby by any means, but Ikki Ortolani had left one for the record books. Either way, the Gamemakers had something intriguing in store for the 79th Annual Hunger Games, to throw a bit of variety into the games.

The tributes were greeted with the golden cornucopia, although they noticed four towers not too far off, with the first to the northwest; the second to the southeast; the third to the northeast; and the fourth to the southwest. Sparse woods surrounded them on all sides, beginning shortly beyond the four towers in a radial circle. What lay beyond those remained to be seen, but it was certain that the tributes would find out.

Alliances this year were fairly disorganized in contrast to most other years. District 1's Pyro Chrome and Nailah Zoraki, while both volunteers, did not seem very interested in a formal career alliance. It did not stop District 2, who produced the powerful Zhao Burnside and the oddly named Nyx Stone, from still arranging an informal alliance pact where they wouldn't try to kill each other in the opening minutes.

Also joining this informal alliance were the tributes from District 3: Simon and Lin; as well as the District 4 tributes: Mako and Jun. Each of these tributes allied with the partner from their respective district and informally partnered with each other in what was clearly going to be a career tribute curbstomp battle against all of the others. When all eight of them scored either 10s, 11s, or 12s (apart from Jun who scored a single 9), it was clear where this was going.

Sure enough, once the bloodbath started, Nyx wasted no time attacking tributes as they scattered. Interestingly, there was no formal bloodbath at the cornucopia this year—one of the few times this was ever recorded to have happened (apart from the earlier games before people really knew what they were doing).

The first death was a tribute from District 10, a boy named Jet. Nyx chased him up the northwestern tower and cornered him near the top. He tried to use his weapon, a flamethrower, to keep Nyx at bay, but she managed to grapple with him, steal his weapon, and kick him off the tower to his death. Nyx was just as skeptical as much of the audience about the presence of a flamethrower as a weapon in the games, but she was not about to argue it.

Nyx scored four kills that afternoon, while Pyro and Nailah scored one each. Zhao took out two on his own, and the tributes from Districts 3 and 4 ran their own separate ways. All in all, 10 tributes died in the first afternoon, even if it was not in the usual bloodbath fashion. The rest of them scattered and fled their own separate ways, exploring the arena and seeing what other types of treachery it held.

Nyx was not the only one with one of those explosive flamethrowers though. Her partner Zhao had gotten one, and had chased Pyro southward as the District 1 boy pursued other tributes. Luckily for his would-be victims, Zhao reached Pyro first, right near the base of a small building. The arena had four of these buildings beyond the towers, with them located to the south, north, east, and west of the cornucopia. Pyro disappeared into the southern building with Zhao in hot pursuit, before he realized that this had a very simple solution. Hearing Pyro's footsteps grow fainter as he disappeared up the steps to the upper floors of small (but tall) building, Zhao instead torched the bottom floor, trapping his enemy in an inferno that soon led to his death.

Guerilla tactics were much more common in this year's games, and so despite there being a sort of informal alliance going between Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 (which Zhao had broken by killing Pyro), the tributes from the outer districts were not entirely doomed. A girl from District 10 knifed Simon by surprised, only for Lin to retaliate with a clawed grappling hook that she used to practically rip out the offending girl's throat. The towers and the four buildings were not exactly built very well, and so were more like traps than shelters, and so several tributes died from the natural hazards that their shoddy workmanship posed, as well as from dangerous saboteurs that either tried to collapse them or ignite them. A tribute from District 12 actually managed to ignite the northwestern tower and bring it down, although she didn't last long either, getting caught in her own crossfire.

Ultimately, these games wound up being rather short, with the tributes dwindling over the first week. By day 5, only Nyx, Nailah, Mako, and a District 8 girl named Kiya remained. Kiya caused quite the upset as she sniped Nyx and took her down, and she managed to escape as Mako and Nailah began fighting over who got to kill her. Out of the corner of their eyes they noticed Kiya trying to get away, and in a brief second of camaraderie, they both turned, launching knives at the renegade girl and killed her. Armed with explosive flamethrowers, Mako and Nailah ended up setting a great deal of things on fire before Nailah finally offed Mako. The craziness of the games had only lasted 7 days, but it had been a fiery story of blood and carnage that ended as suddenly as it had begun. Just like that, Nailah became the 13th victor from District 1, and the 79th victor of the Hunger Games.

Nailah was a somewhat moody victor that enjoyed drinking, although she was still a pyromaniac at heart, and that didn't change even after she relocated to the Victor Village—or even a few years later after she mothered children of her own despite the risks associated with doing so. Even though her games would go down as "the year they had flamethrowers", she didn't forget any of it. The flamethrowers were just a highlight of an otherwise intense time of her life. After the games, Nailah turned out to be a rather formidable mentor, and helped tributes of District 1 get far, even if they didn't always win. Not even District 2 could always win a Hunger Games year after year, but even then, Nailah's district still had the 2nd-highest success rate in history. That was something she wanted to maintain—and she did exactly that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)


	80. The 80th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Another short-ish chapter as we kick off some of the faster, wilder Hunger Games out there. Obviously there are no more "canon" victors at this point, but those who have read my other fics might be pleased to know that the next two chapters are going to reveal the horrors that Katsuo and Kaede saw, which was why Clove remained the mentor of District 2 for so long. Similarly, just a reminder that the next chapter will be posted on Saturday instead of Friday, but that otherwise the update schedule will be normal (and next week it will be on Friday again). Also coming up are Vigo's games, parts of which he hinted at in my 91st Hunger Games fic._  
_But that's enough self-promotion for one night. Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 80th Annual Hunger Games**

While it was not unheard of for an arena and its schematics to be puzzlingly complex and sometimes downright difficult for the tributes involved to figure out, the Capitol Gamemakers also knew how to make certain things simple or complex; easy or difficult. Decades of tricks from past games to draw from coupled with devious new Gamemakers with fresh minds and ideas meant that even if they went with something simple this year that it would still be deadly.

Such was the nature of the 80th Annual Hunger Games. The volunteers from District 1 and District 2 seemed fairly standard fare, but by this point a "standard fare" career tribute almost always scored a 10, 11, or 12. District 1's Zihark and Shijin both scored 10s, while District 2's Soren scored a 12. His partner, Kai, scored an 11. It was clear that they would be formidable opponents this year.

On the other side of the spectrum, District 11 was fixing to do the same. The boy, Naseru Vel, scored a 10 by proving his skill with a sword; while his partner Zenzi Tallarico scored an 11 after proving that she was as potent with an axe as most of the usual kids from District 7 were. Surprisingly, they were joined by Lars and Nina from District 12, whose scores of 9 were not shabby at all either. Katniss' victory a few years earlier had marked a changing trend in the behavior of District 12 citizens, and, while they had always had a proud, rebellious streak in them, it was not more prominent, even if they kept it subtle. The four of them hoped that their strength as well as cunning and sabotage skills would keep them safe from dying in the arena's bloodbath, and maybe even help them take out one or more of the career tributes. Time would tell.

10 tributes were slain the ensuing bloodbath, and the types and amounts of supplies at the cornucopia hinted that there would not be much in the ways of camping out there. There were weapons, but almost no actual food, water, or other edibles. As such, the careers took what they needed (and wanted) before heading out into the surrounding stony wilderness to scope out the arena.

The arena was full of a consistent humming and soft grinding noise, as if someone was pushing large stones around. It was daunting enough that there were high walls of solid stone in every direction, but it also caught them off guard as one passageway got closed off by a moving wall of stone, while another one opened. They were in what appeared to be a concrete maze.

It might not even have been a maze at all. Even if the walls did move, there didn't seem to be any dead-ends, meaning that it was actually more similar to a maze out of Pac-Man than anything. There were packages of food (and some natural resources) at various intersections of the ever-changing maze, and a few corridors filled with fresh water at various intervals. The hard part would be finding other tributes, although almost all of them were certain that the Gamemakers would provide enough hazards along the way to prevent things from getting too boring.

Ultimately despite being thrown into the maze without any supplies like they were used to, the career pack ended up taking the offensive, chasing down Lars, Nina, Naseru, and Zenzi. The four split up, although the paths that the former three took ended up leading them back together, where they turned to confront the careers. The ensuing battle killed Kai and Soren, injuring Zihark and Shijin, and eliminating three of the four members of the outlying alliance. District 1's biggest threat at this point was Zenzi, somewhere else in the maze.

There were no mutts in the maze, but there did appear to be some form of monsters: humanoid creatures with glowing red eyes, grey-brown skin, and ashen black hair that wielded weapons with deadly proficiency. These humanoid mutts had appeared a few times in earlier games, and nowadays, most of the tributes simply knew or referred to them as "Night Witches".

Ultimately, these creatures would spell the beginning of the end for the District 1 duo, as well as heralding the ending of the 80th games. In one of the far corners of the maze, Zenzi managed to use a bottle of honey she had found to calm these savage beasts. They seemed to be sedated by the sweet amber liquid, and almost seemed docile, even. While neither she nor any of the other tributes realized it, the creatures were based off of some of the earliest victors at a younger age. How the Capitol was able to re-create them was not something many people wanted to know the answer to. Whatever the case, Zenzi decided not to take chances trying to order those things around, and so wandered through the maze, hoping to find the careers, and any other tributes.

Three more cannons over the next few days meant that by day 10, she, Zihark, and Shijin were the only tributes that remained. The Night Witches were nowhere to be found, but luckily for Zenzi, her mentor had realized the usefulness of the honey, and had managed to convince another sponsor to drop her a bottle of it.  
This was Zenzi's saving grace in the final confrontation. Throwing the honey at the Night Witches, they did not attack Zenzi, but forced Zihark and Shijin into the defensive as Zenzi went in there with her hatchets a-blazin', and within a few bloodsoaked minutes, they were dead, two cannons fired, and the Night Witches disappeared (as to not attack the final tribute). Zenzi had just become the 7th victor from District 11, and the 80th victor of the Hunger Games.

Her games had been swift and simple: a stone maze with shifting walls, with food in plain sight, and monsters that resembled other people. This simplistic, minimalistic formula was all the Capitol needed to keep an intriguing game. Zenzi enjoyed her victor-dom fairly well, all things considering. For a while she was shaky around people, but she warmed back up to the people of District 11, and lived a fairly happy life after that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)


	81. The 81st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This was actually one of the first chapters I wrote out of order, and for good reason. Back when they were first mentioned in one of my other fanfics, it was clear that whatever Kaede and Katsuo saw in their Hunger Games was so nefariously twisted and horrifying that it turned them into the unstable wrecks that they are today. As such, this is considered to be among the evilest game designs in the entire series, so don't let the shortness of the chapter throw you off._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 81st Annual Hunger Games**

The notion of fear and déjà vu was not exactly unheard of amongst the Capitol and in the Hunger Games. It had happened about 70 years before the current time, and was set to happen again soon. The idea behind the arena though, was downright malicious.

Even to this day, no one really knows what it was like apart from the nefarious Gamemakers who put it together. The only thing the viewers remembered was the darkness, the screams, and the utterly traumatized look on the poor victor's face when they dragged her out of there.

This was the grim story of Kaede Raiden's Pyrrhic Victory in the 81st Annual Hunger Games.

She began her story as an ordinary career tribute from District 2, clawing her way to the stage so that she could volunteer to represent District 2 in this year's games. Luckily for her, her brother Katsuo did not make it the same year she did, preventing the two siblings from having to fight each other. Still, she and her partner were brimming with confidence as they met the other tributes in the training center, forming alliances as the usual factions formed between Districts 1 and 2 and Districts 11 and 12. Only one girl from District 11 heeded the warning of the Gamemakers during her private session.

"_you have 15 minutes to demonstrate your chosen skills. Stand up to the screams in the dark, and show us your best. You may begin."_

But even she wasn't prepared for the arena. It was nearly pitch dark, almost like a moonless and starless sky that hovered above them. Small lights shone around the pedestals and the cornucopia almost seemed to glow as if to tell the tributes where things were. Adding to the fear factor was that one of the tributes stepped off the pedestal and was blown apart. At once, the remaining tributes knew that this was going to play on fears of all of them—even the ones that claimed they were not afraid of screams in the dark.

They were all absolutely correct. With little more than the glow of their weapons to locate where others were, the tributes practically groped their way around the arena. However, they were not the only things that glowed. There was an effect in the arena that made the eyes of the tributes shimmer almost like a cat's, which in turn potentially helped locate friend from foe.

No one took that chance. Anything that moved, they swung at, and that was the secret to Kaede's success for a while. However, after the 2nd "night" (more like the 2nd time the anthem played), the tributes realized that the glowing eyes did not belong to just tributes.

Mutts of some kind—some sort of horrifying red-eyed creatures, attacked. Some of them even used the glowing weapons, leading spectators to believe that these were fiercer, more grotesque prototypes of the "Night Witches" that the Capitol had occasionally brought down on the tributes. No one ever found out what these red-eyed weapon-wielding creatures were, but the tributes learned quickly that they were deadly.

There was no career pack during the Hunger Games' 81st year. The chaos from the darkness and the faint glows and the odd, sporadic screams, had prevented them from ever coming together in the first place. Kaede was one of the boldest tributes alongside that District 11 girl, and so it took much longer for the screams and the lights to start affecting her.

As if this arena could not get any more nefarious, a delusionary fog started to seep in by day 4. The Gamemakers had clearly pulled out all of the stops in this arena to make it the most sinister one in Hunger Games History—a title that it would share with only one other arena in Hunger Games history.

Water seemed oddly abundant, but none of the tributes thought much about eating. Most of them were more worried about being eaten by the red-eyed monsters that were swinging swords or axes at them. at least two of them used bows before tributes killed them. the girl from District 11, despite her best efforts, eventually was cut down by another tribute in his blind frenzy to try and stop the mutts.

By the 5th day, it was only Kaede and the boy who had killed the District 11 girl. There were monsters chasing her, presumably back to the cornucopia, where she was swinging her sword wildly and in a panicked frenzy. Her screams were drowned out by the shrieks and shrills of whatever monstrosities lurked in this nightmarish arena. When the cannon went off she jumped in terror. Noise in these games often meant death or bloodshed. This had been no exception.  
Briefly, the boy's face lit up the sky, and then the Gamemakers' announcement was heard. Kaede had just killed the boy in a panicked frenzy, and in so doing, had just won the games. The nightmare was over for the time being. Kaede was the 14th victor from District 2, and the 81st victor of the games.

The post-game ceremonies and her subsequent victory tour were horrible and trying on the frightened victor. Whatever horrors had lurked in that arena had stripped her completely of any courage or boldness she might have had, reducing her to a terrified little shell of her former self who would barely speak, and who showed a dangerous aversion to bright lights, noises of any kind, or pitch darkness. Kaede Raiden had been destroyed by the games, and had thus sparked a sense of unrest and unease in District 2 that had begun with Clove Kazera's victory a few years previous. Luckily for Kaede, Clove elected to remain a mentor, not subjecting what was left of Kaede to such a horrible fate. Her brother Katsuo was there for her when he could be, but there was only so much he could do for his devastated sister. The Hunger Games showed no mercy.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)


	82. The 82nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter is sort of a "companion-chapter" to the previous one because of the victor, the way the games are laid out, the shortness and sweetness of the story, and insomuch that it was one of the first chapters I wrote. These two chapters were also both kind of foreshadowed as early as the 11th and 12th games. Whatever the case, there are no other chapters this similar to one another, and from here on out, the update schedule should be normal again._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 82nd Annual Hunger Games**

The notion of fear and déjà vu was still fresh in everyone's minds after the horrifying ordeals of the previous years. Unfortunately for the districts, history was about to repeat itself 70 years later, except that this time it would be much more horrifying.

Even to this day, no one knows exactly what was in that arena, any more than they knew what was in the one before it. The nefarious Gamemakers responsible for devising these two arenas were never identified, and so their secrets disappeared with them. On the other hand, the darkness, the screams, and the utterly traumatized look on the poor victors face when they dragged him out of there were enough to tell people about the sheer evil that this arena contained.

This was the grim story of Katsuo Raiden's Pyrrhic Victory in the 82nd Annual Hunger Games.

He began his story just like his sister Kaede—an ordinary career tribute bent on reaching the stage to volunteer as the male representative of District 2. His partner was as confident as he was, although he also had a touch of an additional motive on his mind—he wanted to win and hopefully better understand what his sister was suffering. What he did not expect, was that he would learn not only what the Hunger Games was like, but also exactly what his twin sister was suffering from.

Most of the tributes figured that last year's horrors were a one-time thing, and so despite everything that had gone down, most of them, Katsuo included, went back to forming the usual factions and alliances, and all scoring fairly well to boot.

However, fear crept in quickly once the Gamemakers gave another ominous and cryptic warning much like they had done previously.

"_you have 15 minutes to demonstrate your chosen skills. Show your best skills to keep the screams at bay. You may begin."_

A boy from District 5 and a girl from District 9 were the ones who first started hypothesizing that the arena would be very similar to the one last year. They were absolutely correct. Greeting the tributes as they emerged from their tubes onto the pedestals was a pitch-black arena only illuminated by dim lights around the pedestals so that tributes would not step off, and then the weapons and cornucopia also emitted a faint glow. Unfortunately, almost as if it was a deliberate re-creation of the year before, a tribute tried jumping off of the pedestal too soon. Some said that he jumped on purpose to not have to endure the inevitable nightmares that would come with dealing with an arena this nightmarish.

The tributes' eyes had a shimmering, catlike affect to them that made seeing each other easier, but there was no telling what other obstacles lay on the ground between them and their target, and this was how some tributes fled. Even with knowledge of the previous year's games on their minds, there was no real way for them to put that knowledge into practice, for there were no lights, and none were able to be sponsored either.

There was no career pack during the Hunger Games' 82nd year as a result of this confusion. With no way to identify each other apart from asking or recognizing eye height or footfalls, no one wanted to take a chance to see who someone was. Time spent that close to another tribute simply increased the odds of that tribute killing them. Besides, some of the eyes did not belong to tributes at all, and instead belonged to those same monsters that knew how to use weapons from before. It was actually because of this year's games and the year before that the name "Night Witches" stuck for the humanoid mutts that were able to use weapons just like a tribute.

The delusionary fog on the 4th day and the monsters that roamed the arena and seemed to be able to fly only made this arena all the more terrifying and difficult to navigate. Tributes went crazy and it was hard to even tell who killed who—or what killed who. The 5th day marked the ending of the games as Katsuo went on a similar blind rampage like his sister had, and ended up assassinating the two remaining tributes as he fled in terror from a pack of Night Witches. Technically no one was sure if these creatures were the actual Night Witches or not, but no one cared to find out—especially not Katsuo, who was living the nightmare that was becoming a hot discussion topic around Panem. All that mattered to him was that the final two faces had appeared in the sky, and that meant that the games for him were finally over, and that he was free from this horrifying ordeal. With it over, Katsuo had become a victor—a survivor of the monstrosities and maliciousness of the arena. Katsuo was the 15th victor from District 2, and the 82nd victor of the games.

Much like his sister before him, Katsuo's victory ceremonies and tour were trying experiences that he never wanted to repeat. He understood now more than ever just how broken and devastated Kaede was—for he was now the exact same way as well. The courage and gusto he had had before the games was gone, replaced by a terrified and shattered remnant of a boy who had once been one of District 2's finest warriors alongside his sister. Katsuo's trauma only helped drive the wedge of discontent deeper into District 2, as the unrest and unease in the Victor Village grew. On the other hand, he and his sister became reclusive and evasive together. Neither one spoke much, and they had almost no interactions with anyone but each other. They hoped more than anyone that anyone else—regardless of district—would not have to suffer such a cruel and sadistic fate. The Hunger Games showed no mercy, after all—and they knew it better than anyone.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)


	83. The 83rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This was actually another one of my earlier-written chapters, and so names that sound familiar might have actually been here first. Odds are if you get 2400 people together, some of 'em are going to have the same name, but don't think too much about it. Like almost all of the victors in this era, this character also appears in some of my other works as well; and like at least one other arena I've designed, this one's landscapes are loosely inspired by the state of New Mexico. _  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 83rd Annual Hunger Games**

After the last two horrifying years of the Hunger Games, Panem was back on edge, wondering if the Capitol was going to come up with something equally sinister for the 83rd Annual Hunger Games. Thankfully, they did no such thing as the tributes later learned. Despite the reservations that the districts had about the last two nightmares passed off as arenas, volunteers still sprang up from Districts 1, 2, and 4, bringing with them a couple of surprises. Despite a lot of people considering District 4 a career district, it was more from their performance in the games rather than their training centers or loyalty to the Capitol. Still, it produced a couple of memorable tributes this year: Zeke Leazha and Mandy Ikezhen. Neither one seemed very assuming; Zeke was a shorter fellow with messier hair, while the only thing that really stood out about Mandy was that she had long, fiery-red hair. Unless the Capitol went with another pure darkness arena, she would almost inevitably stand out in all the wrong ways.

Scores that year were rather intriguing. One of the tributes, a District 5 girl, surprised everyone by scoring a 0, which was a result of not showing up. On the other hand, the District 4 pair surprised everyone when they both scored 12s, which became even more surprising when they refused to join the career pack.

Still, Skylar Rose and Rosalie Brie from District 1 joined forces with District 2's Ike DeLeon and Leslie Brown, all scoring between 9s and 11s, and establishing themselves as a threat. Another frighteningly unusual threat was little Arya Zendenga, a seemingly unthreatening 12-year-old from District 12 who somehow scored an 11. There had to be a fluke, or so everyone thought.

Elsa Alto and Cordin Bittanti were particularly analytical of these tributes, but being from District 3, this was considered normal to them. There would be a lot of dangerous tributes to watch out for this year.

The bloodbath proved this to be the case as weapons were drawn against one another, and Arya proved herself to be a trained killer of sorts as she stabbed Skylar in the back in the opening minutes before running. His partner Rosalie managed to kill Arya's partner in retribution, but the damage was done. The meadow the tributes had started the games out in was now soaked with the blood of nine tributes.

District 10 managed to escape the bloodbath, while their comrades from District 9 were not so fortunate. Antonio DeVacca managed to rescue his wounded partner Lucia from the fray as he headed north into the lusher parts of the arena. By contrast, the southern half looked more barren and arid, and was one that only the District 4 pair dared venture into for the time being.

Zeke and Mandy were eventually approached by Elsa and Corbin, and to their great surprise, the pair offered an alliance. Neither one seemed to be taking the games very seriously, which kept the District 3 pair on edge, but it was not enough to deter them from staying close to their newfound allies.

The careers wandered far north into the lushness of the northern arena, only to find that it was eerily devoid of anything edible. The water was okay, but the plant life was either poisonous or inedible, and there seemed to be almost no animals or creatures anywhere. This is the same problem that Antonio and Lucia faced, which was problematic because he was unable to properly nurse his partner's wounds back to health. Lucia died later that night, bringing the death count for the first night up to 10.

However, the games had only begun. The careers continued to venture north until they followed a small river. Rosalie broke from the District 2 pair when they found a river. They continued north, consuming what little food remained from their packs, while the District 1 girl jumped right into the river and followed it downstream to wherever it led.

Rosalie soon found herself in a picturesque glade loaded with food ripe for the picking, and with fat birds that were completely suitable for eating. She settled herself down after a swim in the lake, and was ready to camp out here as long as she needed. Ike and Leslie would either find her or not.

The next few days were interesting, and resulted in a few tributes, including Antonio and the District 2 pair nearly going crazy as they scrounged around for food. On one of the days a lightning storm struck some of the thick trees outside of Rosalie's glade, blocking the way she had come in. Ike and Leslie were therefore unable to find out where she had gone by following the river, which now led under a mess of trees that they did not want to risk exploring. She was alive and had presumably gone south, and so they, as well as the District 10 boy, forged separate trails down south, not running into each other at all. Over these last few days, 4 more tributes had died, although the District 3 and 4 alliance, as well as little Arya, were still alive. Her buddies from District 11 were still out there too, and they had blazed a trail first to the eastern fringes of the arena, before doubling back and aiming for the western side. Since they were skirting the fringes of north and south, they found scarce amounts of food, but enough to live off of. The arena was an interesting paradox. The barren, arid climate was actually the area richest in food, while the lush, lively climate to the north was devoid of anything edible with a few special exceptions.

Eventually, Corbin, Elsa, Zeke, and Mandy stumbled across one of the most incredible features of the arena that they actually thought was a hallucination at first. In front of them were glistening sand dunes, but they were made of white sand instead of the usual tans or browns that sand was usually comprised of. The two pairs of tributes wandered deeper into these dunes, and found an abundance of food here. While they ate, they couldn't help but ponder these dunes.

"It's gypsum," Elsa indicated, "that's why the sand is white."

With that little tidbit of information the four tributes realized that this was not quite as likely to be a hazardous trap as they had expected, and that the sand was not secretly some sort of toxic chemical that would kill them. However, the career tributes that showed up two days later were definitely out to kill them. They had also run into Antonio and a District 7 girl named Isabela O'Donnel. Both of them agreed that the District 4 pair needed to be taken down, and so they joined Ike and Leslie in the hunt for the District 3 and District 4 tributes.

Unfortunately for them, they were only able to score deaths on the District 3 pair, but not without casualties of their own. They managed to eliminate Elsa and Corbin as well as injure Mandy, but Leslie and Antonio did not survive. Mandy fought viciously despite her injuries, and also managed to bring down Ike, thus ending the career pack save for Rosalie to the north. Antonio staggered, but knew his wound was mortal. As Zeke approached to finish him off, however, he snagged the boy's spear, pivoting it around before plunging it through Zeke's neck. This exertion of strength was his final moment, and he collapsed as he succumbed to his injuries.

Isabela left Mandy in a pool of her own blood as she wandered northward. There were only six tributes remaining at this point, and despite her high score from earlier, little Arya as well as Marcus and Lorena the District 11 pair that had managed to avoid being seen most of this time, were no chance for the girl. She managed to off Arya, and sent the District 11 pair southward as she continued north to find Rosalie.

Rosalie ended up becoming the victim of something far more unexpected though. While she was living the good life for the last several days in her little glade, the same lightning that had knocked the trees down over one of the entrances ended up striking the glade itself, electrocuting her. As Isabela heard that cannon, she turned south to try and find out who was still alive.

Mandy had survived the ordeal against the careers; staining the white sand with her blood as she hobbled to safer grounds. A sponsor gift saved her from bleeding out, but she was now armed with nothing but a knife and what little food her injured body could carry.

Isabela was surprised when two more cannons went off, and the faces of Marcus and Lorena appeared in the sky. That just left Mandy.

The two tributes met in the fringes of the desert, glaring at each other in a final standoff. The redheaded District 4 girl managed to limp towards her darker-haired enemy, tricking her with a feint before she threw herself forward, plunging the knife into the District 7 girl's forehead and bringing the wild games to a close. Mandy Ikezhen had become the 7th victor from District 4, and the 83rd victor of the Hunger Games overall.

For Mandy, the games had simply been business. She did what she had to do, and didn't look back. She kept her wild and carefree District 4 attitude all throughout her tour, and despite her popularity, Mandy seemed fairly oblivious or indifferent to it all. Her high training score and stellar performance in the games had just been something she did, rather than something she aimed for. That was how she lived her life, and even after the games, that had hardly changed at all.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)


	84. The 84th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This was a really fun chapter to write. While obviously not a canon character considering the number of these games, this is a "canon" victor from my established universe. In my "91st Hunger Games" fic, I mentioned that the main characters' mentor was the victor of the 84th Hunger Games, and the 2nd chapter of the fic kind of touches on it. Welp, here's the more detailed account._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 84th Annual Hunger Games**

While the citizens and potential tributes were no longer on edge about being put into a nightmarish arena like one of the two from the last couple or three years, they were obviously still nervous about the games as a whole, considering that 23 of the 24 children that were dragged to the games never came back, and thus these arenas were considered their graves.

The 84th Annual Hunger Games had an interesting arena in store for the tributes, but the results of these games were also a reminder that there was a shift in performance, and that certain districts formerly thought to be a joke were becoming formidable, and perhaps some of the other districts that people might have considered the sole and only threat in times past, were no longer considered to have a monopoly on the danger of the games.

There was no formal alliance between District 11 and District 12, although the District 1/District 2 career pack formed as it usually did. If anything, it was a departure from the last few years, where a career had died, and the two years before that where the chaotic arena had prevented the formation of any alliances at all. District 1's tributes paired up their fellow District 2 careers Gaius and Cordelia, and had something of an alliance with Rue Tallarico from District 5. Her partner, Shiro Vargas, actually went and joined an alliance with District 12's Dento Kegami and Vigo Zakatau. They did not formally ally with District 11's Zelda and Dante, but they did form something of a pact not to hurt each other for the early half of the games.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy about any of the scores, but at the same time, perhaps the 12-point scale was no longer remarkable because so many people had achieved (deservingly, albeit) the perfect score of 12, and even 11s were also still very common as well, especially among the careers. Gaius scored an 11, Cordelia scored a 10, while the boy and girl from District 1 scored a 12 and 9 respectively. Rue took a 12, reminding some tributes of the dangers of District 5, while her partner Shiro scored an 11. Zelda, Dante, and Dento scored between 8 and 9, and Vigo surprised some people by taking an 11. It seemed Katniss' victory from hardly a decade ago had inspired members of District 12 to a certain extent.

The arena was nothing necessarily new, but a twist in one of the designs was. The deceptively rocky desert that stood in front of them was made more treacherous by the fact that the arena uniform did not come with footwear of any kind—which also explained the abundance of boots at the cornucopia. The hot, rocky ground was harsh on the feet of many, although tributes from the outer districts such as '10, '11, and '12 had little trouble with it (since some of them didn't even own shoes back home).

This small advantage gave them enough time to run right into the cornucopia and snag some of the best supplies. All six of them made it out unscathed, even if none of them had formed alliances outside of their own district partners. Surprisingly, among the 8 tributes that died in the bloodbath that year was the girl from District 1, who had stumbled against the hot ground, allowing an opportunistic Zelda to take her down with a well-placed trident. The career pack remained at four that year due to Rue's presence with them, and the four of them managed to scare off the remaining tributes as they seized the cornucopia and its fairly ample stocks of food and supplies.

Shiro managed to meet back up with Dento and Vigo in the meantime, and the trio set out in search of water. The desert was surprisingly not very hot, but the ground was covered in rocks and pebbles, rendering it a jagged and unforgiving landscape. They also quickly noticed that there were stone and brick ruins of buildings, although they looked much older than anything from Panem's time. These had either been here long before the Capitol had bombed and erased District 13, or had been artificially reconstructed by the Capitol for this arena. Sometimes the Capitol just built an electric forcefield around an already existing site and made a few modifications to it; while other times they revamped the entire landscape for the games. The 84th arena was one of the former.

Shiro, Vigo, and Dento wandered through the desert until they found dry lakebeds and riverbeds. Deciding to follow them, they figured it was their best bet for obtaining water. If this was in fact a real city at some point in the distant past, it was clear that it had been built around water. Maybe they had ways to contain it.

There wasn't any water till later that evening after a small rainstorm moved in. Had it gone on longer it would have easily turned into a flash flood in the arid landscape, but since it was short, the tributes just used it as a chance to hydrate themselves before they tried sleeping.

Noting these rain patterns, the trio found shelter near water and let the others duke it out. A week into the games, and 5 more tributes had been slain, with Vigo himself cutting down the District 10 pair in a botched ambush against them. Their friends from '11 were still alive, somewhere down one of the rivers building traps or something.

Day 10 saw District 12 pull ahead with an advantage as they stormed the careers. Shiro killed off Gaius and the boy from District 1, while Dento wounded Rue and Vigo finished her off. Only Cordelia managed to escape them, disappearing into the sands again.

Sometime over the next couple of days (as the rain suspiciously stopped falling during day 11 and day 12), the District 11 pair came back to haunt the trio, figuring they could capitalize on the smaller alliances. They thought wrong, however, and Shiro and Dento managed to off them both. They managed to quench some of their thirst with District 11's water, but the drought that had started three days ago was still in full force, which meant finding any water that had not dried up was increasingly difficult.

By day 14, the remaining 5 tributes were searching for water with little to no success. A cannon went off in the afternoon, as the girl from District 9, one of the other remaining survivors, was offed by Cordelia. The alliance between District 12 and Shiro was the largest one remaining, and it really looked like District 12 would produce a victor this year. Only Cordelia from District 2 remained of the careers, but she wouldn't go down without a fight.

Near dusk, the monsoons happened. A flash flood swept through parts of the arena, and since Shiro, Vigo, and Dento were walking in the sandy riverbed (none of them wearing any shoes), they were swept away. They managed not to drown, although they did wash right past Cordelia, who threw a knife with deadly accuracy right into Dento's chest, killing her. Vigo and Shiro attempted to pull themselves to the bank of the wild river, but this too proved to be a mistake. Shortly after disappearing from Cordelia's line of sight, Shiro triggered a riverside trap that Dante had built a few days earlier. The triggers helped Vigo pull himself to shore, the trap no longer dangerous. He was a bit dizzy, but clutched his knife as he regained his bearings and raced through the rain to have his final showdown with Cordelia.

Both tributes were armed with knives, and even in the rain, Cordelia and Vigo flipped and spun with grace and elegance. Both tributes had long hair that flowed down to their backs, and it was flinging everywhere in the fierce knife fight. Eventually, fortune favored Vigo as he knifed his opponent in her vitals, killing her and ending the games in the storm. Vigo had become the 4th victor from District 12, and the 84th victor of the Hunger Games.

For District 12, this was news to rave about. Up until this point they had literally only had a victor once every 25 years. Vigo was a foreteller of things to come with his victory, and he was not afraid to be a little proud of his accomplishment. He did not revel in the games, however, and like most victors, became somewhat more reclusive as he retreated to his mansion, becoming an artist in the process. Many of his images were rather unsettling due to their violent nature, but it was his way of coping, and no one argued that. Moreover, he was determined to bring back another victor in even less time than Katniss Everdeen did. That was his next quest, and his journey started now…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)


	85. The 85th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The "Wild 80s" continue with a couple plot twists and odd trends not really seen anywhere else._ T_his is also when District 12 starts really becoming a dangerous force, after being spurred by recent victories such as Katniss and then Vigo. But we'll see plenty more of their antics as we approach the next Golden Age._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 85th Annual Hunger Games**

The fear of back to back games with arenas designed every tribute's worst nightmare like they had been a few years ago, had mostly subsided, and luckily for them, the Capitol was more creative than that without being outright diabolical. Not to say they were terribly concerned for the well-being of the tributes that went into these arenas, but the screams and the pitch darkness made it extremely difficult to tell what was going on.

As such, the arena design for the 85th Annual Hunger Games was much more conventional, similar to most of the other years before it. On the other hand, it also produced something that no one had ever expected to see in Hunger Games history.  
Fuelled perhaps by some sense of bravado from the previous year's victor, Lutz Parsons volunteered and approached the stage, standing next to his partner Velouria Chang, who had also volunteered. A decade ago, this would have been seen as suicide, but one look at the appearance of these tributes spelled trouble. Their dark brown skin was decorated with shades of red—giving them the affectionate nickname "Painted Tributes".

This was not the first time Painted Tributes had entered the arena. Incidents of these boys and girls popping up in various Hunger Games was not unheard of, although this was the first time that both tributes had been volunteers. No one was really sure who they were or how they became such competent fighters despite their unfavorable living conditions (for it was clear that neither Lutz nor Velouria were very affluent if their dirty faces and secondhand clothing were any indicators), but at this point almost anyone knew that if District 12 produced one or more Painted Tributes in a year, that they were going to be formidable. If they were volunteers, it would mean even more trouble.

Their potential allies in District 11 also showed promise. Suki and Anthony were a pair of strapping workers whose strength translated well into combat as well. It naturally made the other tributes uneasy when these four formed an alliance. They were considered a threat even moreso after they roped Trexler and Cogg into their alliance, 'stealing' the District 3 pair from their normal career buddies.

Wind Hallowell and Resin Balthezar might have served as the saving grace of the career pack that year, pooling District 7's strength in with Districts 1 and 2. In terms of scores, they all scored 9s and 10s, including Resin who scored a 10 and Wind who scored a 9. However, after Lutz scored a 10, Suki and Anthony scored 11s, and Velouria scored a 12, the career pack knew that they would be faced with a challenge this year.

The arena seemed to support a District 4 or District 7 victory: the tributes were in a fairly shallow watery clearing, with patches of shallow water leading to the Cornucopia, but also occasionally laced with drop-offs that would catch an unsuspecting tribute if he or she was not careful. The cornucopia was on a small beach-like island in the middle of the

The supplies that year contained ample weapons, although there were a particularly large number of bows this year. Wind and Resin grabbed hatchets, and had to dodge and duck their way away from the fray as the Painted Tributes and their District 11 allies stormed the cornucopia and nabbed the bows. All four of them proved to be competent archers, and they contributed 6 of the 10 arena deaths that year. The real upset and shocker that morning was that both tributes from District 1 and the boy from District 2 were among the dead in the bloodbath. Wind, Resin, and Alexis escaped as the tributes from Districts 11 and 12 took control of the cornucopia for the first time in a very long time.

"I don't think they're going to stay still though," Alexis warned later on that evening as the anthem played, showing the faces of the dead tributes from that morning. "They're not that type."  
"How do you know?" Resin tilted his head, "they acted enough like the usual careers."

"Because Painted Tributes never stay put," Alexis warned, "and neither does District 11. They're hard workers the same way you or I am, except while we deal with lumber and stone, they deal with harvests and ore."  
"Didn't take you for a mason," Wind raised an eyebrow.

"We can't all be militant Peacekeepers," Alexis shrugged. "Now let's find ourselves a vantage point and get some sleep so we're awake and alive to scope this place out when the sun comes back up."

Almost as if she had jinxed it though, the sun did not rise the next morning, but the bright moon lingered overhead. A midnight beach anywhere but the Hunger Games would have been quite the romantic scenario, but the 14 surviving tributes knew better than to assume that there would be anything romantic here.

"Day" 4 (or rather Night 4) rolled around, and Resin woke up to find that his ally had deserted him. Wind was still sound asleep next to him, but Alexis was nowhere to be found, and most of their supplies were missing. He woke up his partner and warned her that Alexis had turned traitor.

They initially thought that she had gone to try and appeal to the enemy alliance that was now patrolling the arena, but they had a run-in with Suki, Trexler, and Cogg, who attacked but didn't manage to kill either of the District 7 pair.

"Don't know nothin' about any Alexis in our ranks," Suki shrugged, "watch your step though, '7."  
The only reason they let the pair go was because Resin and Wind had the high ground and so the trio knew they were at a disadvantage.

The District 4 girl died on Night 5, while her partner and a girl from District 5 died on Night 6. Alexis had been responsible for one of these deaths, but the other two had been teamwork from Lutz and Velouria, with the former luring the victim away from their camp and Velouria attacking. They split the kills, Velouria letting Lutz take the first one and she took the 2nd one.

In the meantime, Alexis began her attack on the enemy alliance that had slaughtered most of her pack. The night after the District 5 girl's face showed up, she stealthily made her way to the cornucopia, staying in the water just deep enough to not arouse suspicion. She drew her bow and with what was and still is considered one of the finest trick shots in Hunger Games history, she nocked two arrows at two slightly different angles and let them fly. The first arrow struck Trexler only seconds before her partner Cogg was struck by the other one. The two cannon shots did not faze the pair from District 11, who continued their hunt into the next 'morning', taking down another pair of tributes as well.

By Night 10, that only left 7 tributes: Alexis from District 2, Wind and Resin from District 7, Anthony and Suki from District 11, and Lutz and Velouria from District 12. Wind was doomed to take 7th place after Anthony landed a fatal shot on her right in the sternum. Resin was shaken, but not about to run off and give up, and so he gave pursuit. Resin helped take down Lutz, and then Suki while Alexis made Anthony's kill clean and effective. The advantage had come from a few recent sponsor gifts directed at Alexis both for her looks and strength in the arena, and towards Resin for his cunning. These had helped them turn the tide against three of the remaining tributes, although after they took out Velouria, Alexis and Resin fully intended to turn on one another as well. After getting her bow disarmed, the District 12 girl lunged at Resin, knocking him dizzy before she spun and turned on Alexis, pulling a knife and slashing her across the chest. The wound was light, but stung phenomenally more than a knife wound of that size should have. She thought little of it as the tributes grappled. Eventually Alexis topped Velouria, forcing the girl underwater and holding her there until she eventually stopped struggling from fatigue and lack of oxygen. She died a moment later and Alexis turned on Resin, who seemed to have been waiting for the moment Velouria's cannon went off to attack. He wanted to make sure Alexis successfully killed the other girl before turning on her.  
The two clashed with mostly their fists, although Resin pulled a knife out and Alexis followed suit after remembering that Velouria had had one earlier. It was only after a few minutes that Alexis realized why the slash across her chest stung so much. It was a poison of types, and she could feel herself growing weaker as the scuffle continued. Eventually she fell onto her back and submitted.

"End it swiftly," she requested, although knew that it was out of her control. He could be as brutal to her as he wanted.

Fortunately for her, Resin was a fairly merciful young man who made one swift slashing motion across Alexis' throat to put her out of her misery and end the games. It was nothing personal despite her earlier betrayal; just business. These actions led Resin Balthezar to become the 7th victor from District 7, and the 85th victor of the Hunger Games.

Resin kept a level head before and during the games, and remained that way afterwards as well. He was uncomfortable around water, for he did not admit that seeing Velouria's lifeless body floating among the waves had been rather discomforting, and that had Alexis tried it on him, she might have succeeded if she had not been weakened by the poison. Whatever the case, he had won, and that was that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)


	86. The 86th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ A slight break from the crazy, but fear not, it will resume. Interestingly enough, this was actually the last chapter of the entire series that I wrote. I'm not really even sure why; I had always intended for the games to go sort of like this, and knew the victor's name ages ago. _  
_Whatever the case, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 86th Annual Hunger Games**

A great deal of mystery surrounded the 86th Annual Hunger Games, from the tributes and victor to the nature of the arena and hazards; and even to why it was supposedly not considered very memorable. Like many of the other slower games, the so-called justification for the "slowness" of these games was a lot thinner and held a lot less water than most other years; but at this point, it was what it was.

It was common for a place like District 1 to produce attractive tributes just as it was hardly surprising to see ruggedly good-looking strapping youths volunteer from District 2. Because of this mindset, the Capitol didn't really bat an eye when District 1's Aurus and Sapphire turned out to be lookers, or when District 2's Naisha and Fukaya turned out to be athletic and attractive. It was not to say that they were not impressed (and plenty of sponsors lined up for them too), but after nearly a century, it seemed that it was basically just something the Capitol expected.

What they did not expect, however, was to see that sort of thing from District 9. Maxwell Bunch and Marian Greene almost looked like creatures out of District 2 and District 1 respectively. While it was well-known that District 9 was ostensibly poor, not all of them were struck with the same kind of crippling poverty that District 11 and District 12 faced on a regular basis. It was certainly not to say that the Bunch family and the Greene family were living in the lap of luxury, but Maxwell was able to keep in shape surprisingly well, and Marian, despite being the eldest of 5, was also still well-cared for.

It was she who became something of an unintentional celebrity when they reached the Capitol. The stylists and potential sponsors fawned over her good looks, and already her prep team was deciding what angle they were going to take with her.

Good looks alone would not win someone a Hunger Games though. A score of 9 might do it, however, and perhaps symbolically, both Maxwell and Marian scored 9s in training. This was outdone by the careers who all scored 11s and 12s, and by a couple tributes from Districts 11, 5, and 3 that took 9s or 10s; but all in all, they still had respectable scores in the grand scheme of things. Of course, none of that would matter if they went the way of most of their peers and predecessors by becoming cannon fodder in the bloodbath and opening minutes.

A whopping 12 tributes were killed in the opening minutes, almost as if it was a sign of things to come. The rest of the arena however, made it feel like there might be a delay between now and the end of the games. They were surrounded by rocky cliffs and mountains riddled with cavities and caves, which the tributes ventured into at different times. The cornucopia had weapons and supplies, including food, although even the career pack didn't want to linger too long. The central location of the golden horn made it visible from almost any angle, which in turn meant that anyone who remained there might get cheap-shotted, among other things.

There was quite the night in store for Marian, however. Sponsor gifts started almost raining down on her, for she had become something of a meme and a sensation back in the Capitol, and it seemed a lot of people, for whatever reason, wanted this District 9 girl to come home. For a while, she hoarded these gifts in one of the caves, not wanting to use them out of fearing that someone was rigging the games in her favour, and so instead, she went out and hunted other tributes.

Most of the case systems were dark and dim, although a few of them had natural lighting from the outside or faintly growing crystals inside. Given how many holes and cavities these rocks had, it made her wonder how easily some of them would come down, and so when she was not busy with combat, her own survival, or dealing with whatever monsters lurked in these caves, she got to work planning on how to trap other tributes and bring parts of the caves down.

To the surprise of many, Marian killed two tributes in single combat, and took out another four more by collapsing a cave tunnel on them. All of this happened during Day 2 and Day 3, and suddenly there were only 6 tributes left: her and Maxwell, and then the four careers—Aurus, Sapphire, Naisha, and Fukaya.

Despite Marian's willingness to share her gifts with Maxwell, he did not fare as luckily and got taken out by one of the careers on Day 4, but Marian responded with an attack of her own. She was armed to the teeth and ready for a fight, and it seemed that there was more to her skills than just good looks.

The sponsor gifts tilted the odds in Marian's favour, where she led her enemies into the caves. She attracted the attention of some sort of dark-dwelling monsters, but since one of her sponsor gifts was a pair of night-vision goggles, she managed to escape and let them run chaotically through the tunnels and ambush the careers, who were not so fortunate. All in all, the last four cannons all went off by the afternoon of Day 5, thus ending the games swiftly and soundly. Marian had become the 3rd victor from District 9, and the 86th victor of the Hunger Games.

The "Marian Sensation" lasted just under a year as a large Capitol fad, and then luckily for her she faded into a little more obscurity after that. There were still plenty of people that were fond of her (and she was still very good-looking) and so there was still plenty of media attention for her whether she liked it or not. Her games had been an interesting case; they were fast-paced, although weren't exactly remembered in the legendary years for one reason or another. Whatever the case, a victor was a victor, and while Marian was shaken from the games and was not exactly fond of attention, she was still just as good looking now as she was back in her games. They could not take that away from her—not yet anyways…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)


	87. The 87th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ And now after the brief 'interlude' where we caught a breather, we return in this chapter to the crazier games where things really do get more intense from here on out. The closer we get to the next "Golden Age" the more intense the games become._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 87th Annual Hunger Games**

After a slightly less eventful games such as the last one, the Gamemakers felt further motivated to up the ante of their games once again. This was the most common reaction to a slower Hunger Games, and so it was unsurprising that the Capitol heralded the 87th Annual Hunger Games as a newer and more exciting game that would be better than any and all games that came before it.

Of course, no one really bought that so much anymore apart from accepting that this year's game would not likely be as slow-paced as the other one. Even this many years later, there was still an essence of trial and error as the Gamemakers attempted to be innovative while still keeping the same excitement (among the Capitol, at least) as their predecessors. They might not have expected to match up to the Golden Age of the 5th decade, but a Hunger Games could still easily be exciting notwithstanding.

While some districts such as '1 or '2 were notorious for their powerful tributes considering their years of training, other districts such as '11 or '12 had this kind of training somewhat unintentionally, there was also the mysterious reputation from District 5, and the sinister reputation from District 8, where rebellious citizens covertly trained their children in the event that their names were drawn from the reaping. It was not unheard of for the Capitol to fix a reaping to send a kid to his or her death as a warning to their parents (usually for anything the Capitol viewed as an infraction), and so technically the kids from '8 were not careers. While many of them were trained to fight, they almost never volunteered, except perhaps to save someone that wouldn't stand a chance—but even that was rare.

A slew of brilliant minds entered the games this year, from the cunning Boyd and Marci of District 3, to the cold and mysterious Rolf and Miriam of District 5, to the rebellious District 8 duo: River Frio and Connor McIrish. They would be up against the usual career tributes: Sheen and Gwendolyn from District 1, with Jeremy and Olivia from District 2. Oddly enough, both the District 2 tributes seemed much shyer than usual, leading people to wonder if it was an elaborate ruse, or if they made up for their lack of social prowess with combat talents.

The latter seemed to be the case as the tributes honed and showed off their skills in the training center over the next week. Jeremy was an extraordinary knife-thrower, while Olivia could only really be described as a legitimate swordmaster. The way she so elegantly danced with her blades as she avoided the holographic assailants and targets in training actually had several people turn their heads.

They were not the only ones turning heads, however. Connor and River both proved to be frighteningly skilled archers, which, depending on the nature of the arena, could mean trouble.

This translated to some rather impressive scores at the end of the week: River scored an 8, while Connor took a 9. Rolf and Boyd both scored 9s; Marci took an 8, and Miriam took a 10. These days, there was always at least one tribute that scored a 12. This year, Jeremy and Olivia did exactly that, while their comrades in District 1 both scored 11s.

The arena was so dazzlingly beautiful that year that when the tributes rose from their pedestals, many of them spent most of the 60-second countdown gazing around in awe at the beautiful cherry blossom forests around them, from the lush, green grass to the sapphire skies to the serene sound of a brook flowing nearby.

But of course, in the cruel ironic nature that the Capitol thrived on, soon this beautiful arena was stained with the blood of 8 different boys and girls that would call this tragically beautiful place their grave.

The bright, almost festive colors of this arena made the dark-colored uniforms the tributes wore stand out a lot more, and so many of them had to disappear into hiding or develop camouflage to prevent being spotted by other tributes. They also quickly learned that the beautiful red birds that circled overhead were as dangerous as the warier tributes had assumed from the get-go, for they would dive-bomb unsuspecting victims and spew fire at them. An unlucky fellow from District 9 learned this the hard way on the 2nd morning.

Boyd and Marci teamed up with Rolf and Miriam early on, serving as a fighting force to stand against the careers, who used the lush orchards and swaying fields to their advantage. They stayed near the brook, which also helped reduce the chance of burning t death, and since they had fresh water and fruit trees all around them, they didn't really need to camp out at the cornucopia between raids. Besides, there hadn't really been much in the ways of supplies there—just lots of blades, bows, and other weapons.

The careers were responsible for 4 of the 5 kills that happened over the next few days, and also responsible for drastically thinning the 'phoenix' population as they slew and cooked those fiery bird mutts. Olivia was the first one to suggest it, and then they realized that the birds actually tasted rather nice, which in turn began a hunt. Fruit was delicious, but after 6 straight days of eating almost nothing but it and a few crackers, some fresh meat was quite welcome.

While everyone feared the careers for the usual and obvious reasons, the real threat that year was in River and Connor from District 8. They let the attention fall to districts 1, 2, 3, and 5, while they struck from the shadows, causing cannons to go off that the career pack didn't do.

They knew it was something to watch out for when Rolf, Boyd, and Marci's faces all appeared in the sky. Whoever these renegade tributes were, they were taking the pack's kills, and since they didn't think Miriam would betray her own alliance this early, that only left River and Connor.

Their subversive tactics did not end there, however. At one point, Connor snuck right into the careers' camp, stabbed Gwendolyn, and smattered a few flecks of blood onto Olivia's right arm and hand to make it look like she had been the killer during the night. Sure enough, a few hours later, Sheen and Jeremy blamed Olivia for the death, claiming she wanted to destroy the career pack from the inside out. Perhaps if she had been more charismatic she would have been convincing, but her stuttering shyness, which had not been feigned during the interviews or reaping ceremony, made her seem that much guiltier, even if she was truthfully innocent.

She did, however, remind them why she earned a 12 in training, and her nearly flawless sword skills enabled her to come out on top in the 2-on-1 battle, even if she sustained a few injuries. Without hesitating, she immediately went on the prowl for the last three tributes, taking up the weapons of her former allies and arming herself to the teeth. Connor let her go for now, but noticed she moved with a slight limp in her left leg. He would have to capitalize on that later on. River actually pursued her, and whatever went down caused her death a day later. Connor wasn't sure if it was phoenix mutts, Olivia, or if Miriam had come back from wherever she had hidden and surprise attacked her, but at this point, it didn't really matter. It made it easier for him since he didn't want to have to fight his partner, and since she was dead, that just left two girls that he would be okay with ending the lives of if needs be.

Olivia actually ran into Miriam by chance, and didn't hesitate to throw a spear through her gut and kill her immediately. It was down to just her swords and Connor's knives. While the battle would have easily gone in Olivia's favour if she was in (near) perfect health the way Connor was, she was injured from her rampage where she had gone and killed Miriam, and also from the assault she had suffered at the hands of Sheen and Jeremy. As such, when Connor confronted her, the two of them were about equally matched. Connor performed surprisingly well compared to what people were used to seeing from District 8, but even with her injured arm and her slight limp, Olivia's mastery over the sword was still a dazzling sight to behold.

Ultimately, however, Connor capitalized on her injuries by attacking her uninjured leg, causing her to go into an even more awkward limp, significantly reducing her speed and allowing him to gain the upper hand and eventually also finish her off. Her cannon meant that Connor had become the 6th victor from District 8, and the 87th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

Like many from his district, Connor was rebellious and subtle about it, and despite the fame and fortune the Capitol 'benefactors' now threw at him, he was dissatisfied with his lot in life, and he aspired for change. How soon or not that change would come, however, remained to be seen…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)


	88. The 88th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This chapter and the next are a couple of the particularly wild ones considering some things encountered in the arena, but hopefully not too far-fetched. The "wild 80s" approach a close, to make way for the next Golden Age. Like most of the other names in this story, any re-namings are just coincidental. The Romula here is not the Romula that runs Panem in my 100th Hunger Games fic._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 88th Annual Hunger Games**

It was a well-known fact that firearms were never included among weaponry for the Hunger Games, and no tribute was ever trained in their use apart from perhaps a few District 2 kids that were training to be Peacekeepers if they could not volunteer for the games. The 88th Annual Hunger Games, however, did away with that trend, and became infamous for its gunfights, however brief they might have been.

Of course, at the time of the reapings, not even the careers were aware of this, and so they went into the games with more or less the same gusto that they did every year. Valor, Serenity, Garrett, and Romula would continue the trend of being solid representatives of District 1 and District 2 (respectively); while District 3 produced Ivette McFaren and Ian Nelson, a cunning pair of tributes that might have had the smarts and skills to run with the career pack this year.

Their training scores proved that this was a likely possibility. Ivette scored a 9 and Ian scored a 10, and if their behavior in the training center was anything to go by, they would likely dig up the mines if they were allowed to escape the bloodbath. The careers thought that this would prove to be useful, and so Valor offered an alliance.

Considering that the tributes from District 11 and District 12 were both setting up to be viable contenders, it seemed the career pack had a lot to worry about. While they all scored 10s, 11s, and 12s, so did the tributes from the two outer districts, serving as another solid reminder that District 11 was dangerous and that District 12 was rapidly becoming so as well.

As the tributes rose from their pedestals, Garrett and Romula watched the District 11 pair, while Valor and Serenity watched District 12. Ian and Ivette analyzed the weapons and saw a lot of the standard fare: swords, bows, axes, spears, knives, and other metal death instruments, but did not see very many other types of supplies.

When the gong sounded, Falco Tsubaki and Rey Kazahana from District 12 beelined it for some of the weapons, seizing a few and then turning to attack the other tributes. Their buddies from District 11, Franklin and Lucy, grabbed hammers and clubs and began smashing things as they broke free of the bloodbath and escaped into the wilderness. Falco and Rey joined them only moments later.

The six career tributes all survived the carnage, although the corpses of 9 other tributes lay strewn all around them, covered in their own blood.

Since there weren't very many other supplies short of weapons that would be of any use, the careers took it upon themselves to explore the arena. Rocky, mountainous terrain surrounded them on every side, with the occasional patch of trees or forest. What made it particularly interesting, however, were that in most of the rocky clearings, geysers spewed piping hot water high into the air. If nothing else, water would not be in short supply for the tributes this year, which was a relief for some.

Almost immediately the two alliances pinpointed each other and commenced combat. Since the Capitol did not want the games ending with one or both of the strongest alliances being decimated on day 2, they caused a diversion. The ground rumbled and split between the two groups, and a geyser spewed hot water out into the air, which then rained down on them. It was hot enough to burn, but fortunately for all ten of them, they managed to get out of the way before anything too severe happened. Rey and Falco glanced around for a way to get around the crack, but the only possible entries had to be somewhere in the forests to the left or right, and so they abandoned their designs after a few missed spears and arrows exchanged sides.

While they did this, Ivette and Ian went back to the cornucopia clearing to start digging up the mines. Romula accompanied them simply to help make sure other tributes didn't try to disrupt them as they dug up the 24 mines. Sure enough, this premonition turned out to be well thought-out, for Romula managed to slay another tribute that nearly ambushed Ivette.

Originally when the District 3 pair had the idea to dig up the mines, they suspected that they would be able to rebury them after rearming them, but with the rocky terrain, that seemed highly unlikely unless they found a particularly soft patch of ground somewhere in the forest. That would be too obvious though, and so Ivette and Ian began working on a launcher machine of sorts similar to something a few other cunning tributes had tried before in past games.

Being the saboteurs that their district was so famous for producing, Falco, Rey, Franklin, and Lucy tried to devise a way to make one of the geysers explode, but they concluded that the risks were too high and the reward too little after Rey was scalded by some of the hot water. Fortunately for her and her group she managed to recover, but they knew that there was little they could do with the geysers, especially with how unpredictable they were. Luckily for them, they did not die the way two other tributes did.

They did wind up spending day 4 and day 5 in style, however. They located a series of large hot springs that were not hot enough to burn them, and took advantage of them straightaway, stripping down to their smallclothes before slithering into the relaxing waters. They kept their weapons close by in case a tribute came their way. One unsuspecting schmuck ran into their springs on the 5th evening, where without hesitation, a nearly-naked Lucy sprung up, grabbing a throwing axe and lodging it in the boy's skull with a well-aimed throw.

Day 7 had the outer district tributes waking up to find their springs conspicuously dry, which was simply the Capitol's message for them to get moving before the Gamemakers decided to send something far worse down on them. There had not been very many deaths over the last few days, and they wanted that to change.

As such, the tributes were rather surprised to find crates randomly scattered across the arena, and even more surprised when some of the tributes found pistols inside of some of the crates. They quickly realized that these guns only had one or two shots to prevent a lucky tribute from going on a rampage with an unfair advantage. Furthermore, most of the tributes were inexperienced marksmen (although some were rather skilled archers) and so while the opportunity clearly presented itself, the tributes that were in alliances didn't exactly want to betray their friends while the opposite alliance was still in full force. Instead, what the careers did was convince Ivette and Ian to try out their new mine launcher.

The boy from District 8 and the girl from District 7 never saw it coming. A few shots later and their whole camp was obliterated, and while a couple of the mines were duds, Ian eventually managed to fire a well-aimed shot at the two fleeing tributes to cripple them. He had nearly gotten himself killed a moment earlier after the District 8 boy had pulled out one of the pistols and fired. It might have hit Ian had his mine not flown right in front of the bullet's trajectory. The mine had exploded, and in the commotion, Ian had launched another one to ensure the death of the two targeted tributes.

Rey in particular had a ball with the firearms, and collected enough to storm the career pack. Ian had slipped away from them to try and use his mines to take down the enemy alliance, and so while Rey was attacking the other careers with arrows and the occasional bullet, Ian took out the other three tributes of her alliance with a few well-placed mine shots. One of them triggered a glacier that scalded the three of them, slowing them down enough for him to launch one of his last mines at them and blow the surrounding area up, killing them.

Ultimately, six other cannons went off on Day 10, including Rey, Ivette, Falco, Valor, Lucy, Serenity, Franklin, and Garrett. Only Ian, Romula, and an elusive boy from District 4 remained, but everyone was pretty sure that that guy was toast the moment he was discovered.

Sure enough, when Ian and Romula crossed paths, they asked each other if they wanted to kill the boy from District 4 before fighting each other. Neither one seemed to worry much about him; thus the fighting began. Neither one had any of the firearms, so it was a good old fashioned battle between Romula's hatchets and Ian's clubs. Surprisingly, Ian managed to overpower Romula, giving her a swift and painless death once he had defeated her. She deserved at least that much. Her death left only the other boy from District 4, which could either be really easy or really difficult.

Fortunately for Ian, it was surprisingly easy. He had actually kept one of the last pistols, but had decided before fighting Romula that his old ally deserved a proper fight. The boy that he had not seen for the entire games was not so lucky, and so one well-placed shot took him down and ended the games. Ian was the 8th victor from District 3, and the 88th victor of the Hunger Games.

Ian's games became notorious for their extremely rare (and so far unique) inclusion of a few firearms in the arena, and so they would without a doubt remain memorable for that reason if nothing else. Even then, Ian's own cleverness and his sense of honor that he mentioned during his victor interview (and District 2 stop) regarding Romula also made the boy a rather memorable and well-liked victor. Such seemed to be the nature of District 3 tributes and victors—and Ian was A-OK with that.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)


	89. The 89th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This is arguably the craziest chapter in the entire series, but frankly, it's also one that I've been looking forward to since the beginning. This story is based on a wild but full-length dream I had where I was in the Hunger Games, and thus most elements, from the tributes to the arena to the weapons and supplies, are based on (an admittedly toned-down version of) the dream. I saw it all the way to the end before being woken up for work, and I remembered it long enough to write it down years later. Thus, what became the 89th Hunger Games was born._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 89th Annual Hunger Games**

After nearly 9 decades of games to look back on and learn from, the Capitol did still manage to sometimes throw a wrench into their own system and come up with something so outright wild that it got remembered for one reason or another. Sometimes it was things the tributes did, other times it was the arena or monsters in said arena, and sometimes it was a combination of both.  
The 89th Annual Hunger Games was one of those that combined all of the above and then some. From the crazy tributes: including the powerful career pack that all scored 11s and 12s, to the somewhat feral tributes from the outer districts whose scores this year were nearly as high as the careers, it was clear that there were wily tributes all around that would need to use their smarts and strengths to best each other and avoid the hazards of the arena.

With names like Krash and Lisa, it was hardly a wonder that the pair from District 1 were powerful; and while their names were not quite as striking, Samson and Minami from District 2 affirmed that they would not be outdone. Meanwhile on the other side of the spectrum, District 11 had produced the high-scoring Savash Crossley and Kozue Sowa. All of them, however, were wary of Varsha Kerezaki, a tall, swift girl from District 5 who appeared to be trained in a similar style of martial arts that elite Peacekeepers were trained in. No one doubted her training, considering that she was a grandchild of Fukaya, the first victor from District 5 and the first person to ever win a Hunger Games at all.

The arena was interesting as well, since there was not much of a cornucopia clearing. They were surrounded by pine forests thick enough to coat the floor in needles, although even from their pedestals they could hear a river.

11 tributes died in the bloodbath that day, including the tributes from Districts 9, 10, and surprisingly, even District 3 and District 4. Also among the fatalities were the boys from Districts 5 and 8, and the girl from District 6. Varsha disappeared into the woods alone, while Samson, Minami, Krash, and Lisa all teamed up and camped at the cornucopia for a while, reveling in the weapons, food, and supplies that were amply available this year.

Savash had no idea where his partner had gone, or where the elusive District 12 pair that had survived the bloodbath had gone either, but he found himself a nice safe place in the forest and camped out there for a couple days, managing to avoid the careers' line of sight, as well as any other real contact with other tributes.

The girl from District 12 died on the 2nd day late in the afternoon, and the boy from District 7 followed later on the 5th morning. The 6th evening saw the death of the District 12 girl, leaving 10 tributes alive at this point. Savash was pretty optimistic. If he won, he wouldn't be the only victor that spent most of the games hiding before ascending to victory, and so perhaps he had a chance.

His chances suddenly turned bleak as the career pack closed in around him. Savash abandoned his camp and raced through the trees with the pack right on his tail. He was surprised as he suddenly came across a massive lake in front of him. Even more surprising was a collection of 5 or 6 water scooters lined up near the coast. He boarded one and took off into the lake, only for the careers to follow right behind him. he zigzagged through the water as the careers continued their high-speed chase, all five of them wondering where the other side of the lake was. However, suddenly things got really ugly as Savash's watercraft entered a minefield. His zigzagging grew more intense as he tried to avoid the bombs.

Krash was not so lucky though. His jetski hit a mine, sending a monumentous explosion of water upwards, forcing Savash one way, and the careers behind him another way. Savash flipped over multiple times, and blacked out.

When he woke up, he found himself on a tropical island underneath a large shady palm tree. Next to him were piles of pineapples, coconuts, and a serene beach scene with white sand, cerulean waters, and oddly enough, a girl dressed in black and dark grey much like he was, only barefooted. He realized he too had lost his shoes somewhere. The real shocker was that he recognized this girl, and she recognized him. It was Kozue.

"Where are we?" he asked her.

"89th Hunger Games arena," Kozue shrugged, "want a piña colada?"

Sure enough, Kozue had coconuts full of yellowish juice which tasted delicious to Savash's parched lips. "So how long have I been here?"  
"About two days or so; you washed ashore and so I dragged you in. Did you kill that District 1 guy?"  
"I think he hit one of the mines. Still… do you think we should get back to the games?"  
"I'd say so; they'll come looking for us if we're not careful."  
"One more night here sounds good to me." And so, Savash and Kozue spent another night on the tropical island in the Hunger Games arena. The next morning, Kozue showed him a way back to the arena by wading through shallow waters. They decided to stock up on weapons at the cornucopia, and were surprised to find it unoccupied. Kozue picked up a bow as well as a pistol of all things. Naturally, both tributes were skeptical, until Kozue learned that it only had one shot. She'd have to remember that for later. It was extremely rare for guns to appear in the Hunger Games, and usually they were never loaded added much ammunition, such as in this case.

Savash discovered a powerful crossbow reminiscent of the working weapon that a victor named Sagittaria Svenja had built during the 44th games, and a harpoon. Satisfied with their pickings, the two tributes set out to find the careers. Instead, they ran into four different tributes: the boy from '6, the girl from '7, the girl from '8, and Lisa from District 1. While Kozue managed to pick off the former two, Savash made a bold move. Instead of loading a standard bolt into the crossbow, he lodged his harpoon into it before firing at the two remaining girls. It skewered Lisa, going through her abdomen and mortally wounding the District 8 girl behind her, and killing them both. Now, only 5 tributes remained: Them, Samson, Minami, and Varsha. Savash figured the games would end soon.

The next evening, a storm kicked in, and the District 11 pair wandered through the woods until they came across a clearing where they saw the most extraordinary sight. Armed with light blasters of some sort were Minami and Samson, and they were shooting at Varsha, who was dodging their attacks with speed and finesse. Moreover, one of the weapons she was armed with appeared to be shooting fireballs at her assailants.

"These weapons keep getting weirder and weirder, don't they?" Kozue whispered as the pair hid in the bushes and watched the fight go down.

"I'll say," Savash agreed, before they remained quiet and watched the show. It was a dazzling display of flames and lights, and neither one seemed able to hit the other because of how fast the three tributes were. It took several minutes before this changed. Varsha triggered the other weapon she was carrying, and this one launched an array of electricity at Minami, catching her off guard and killing her. a cannon fired, and Samson froze. Varsha glanced right towards the bushes where the District 11 pair were, and Kozue seized her chance. Drawing her bow, she shot an arrow right between Varsha's eyes, killing the powerful girl in one fell strike. However, right as she shot him, Samson had fired the blaster at Savash, knocking him back, gravely injuring him.

Kozue wasted no time in backing up her friend. Whipping out that pistol that she assumed had only one shot, she pointed it at Samson and fired, immediately killing him. She knew the games were over at this point, but held Savash till the very end.

"Did we do it?" he wheezed.

"We did…" Kozue whispered in response.

"We won…" Savash smiled, proud that a District 11 tribute could claim the victor's crown again. Slowly, Savash's eyes closed for the last time, and the games were over. Kozue was the 8th victor from District 11, and the 89th victor of the games overall.

The games had been so wild and whimsical that Kozue was not even sure what was real. With piña coladas, water scooters, minefields, harpoons and crossbows, firebolts, blasters, and electricity, she was not sure how many of these crazy props and weapons were actually real and which ones were a figment of her imagination. However, people treated her as a victor, and so she lived as a victor—always wild and unafraid to try new crazy things whenever they came her way. Sometimes, crazy was the only real therapy for a game as wild and crazy as Kozue's year, after all…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)


	90. The 90th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And here we reach the final games before officially entering the "2nd Golden Age". It's a little of a breather from the last two crazy games, but not boring by any means. That said, I'll spare the rant._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 90th Annual Hunger Games**

After so many years of wild games, some people wondered how many more ideas the Capitol could come up with before they started to get repetitive. There had actually been two different sets of years where they had used the exact same arena design two years in a row (although it was proven that they were in fact, two separate arenas designed to be identical, rather than literally reusing an arena), but that was part of the gimmick, considering that tributes reacted very differently in these years. Those that were part of the former year of the pair thought nothing of it, but those involved in the latter were somewhat weirded out by the similarities they had seen on television the year before.

Fortunately for the Capitol, the 90th Annual Hunger Games was nothing like any of those. Even the layout of volunteers and alliances was different. James Midgley and Mara Nieves from District 1 still volunteered and joined up with Rick Carufel and Taylor Julie from District 2, but the alliance didn't grow any larger than that. District 3's Sterling Dashner and Luna Sekemoto were also volunteers, but they remained in their own alliance, rather than allying with fellow volunteers Flora Larson and Gill Wainright from District 4. All of them scored high, although the odds of who would win or not win were questionable considering that they were divided into three alliances that may or may not have seen each other as the most viable threats that the games had to offer this year. All of them scored in the 10, 11, and 12 range, which for careers and most volunteers, was generally seen as standard fare these days. The idea of a tribute scoring a perfect 12 was less extraordinary than it had once been, but in truth, the bar that the Gamemakers held tributes to was much higher than it was earlier in Hunger Games history, and as such, many of the tributes were much stronger than they were in times past.

The arena this year was a confusing sight to behold. On every side, they were surrounded by large floating islands that seemed just out of reach. Even the arena itself seemed to be a big floating island (as the tributes would later discover), but naturally, no one wanted to jump off the edge to see if it was really an illusion, or if they really were miles in the sky in a floating sphere.

9 tributes never got to see the incredible views and vistas of the arena, after being slaughtered in the bloodbath, but none of the careers were among them, nor were the alliances from District 3 or District 4 caught among the dead.

The first thing Flora and Gill did after seizing weapons and supplies was explore the arena, and they were the ones to first discover the edge of the arena after following a small river to the fringes, where it ended in a waterfall that tumbled down into the abyss.

"Hopefully this doesn't crumble," Gill turned to his partner.

"If the Capitol really wants to dispose of two of their best tributes this early, I guess they can, but it won't really accomplish anything." Flora shrugged.

Fortunately for them it did not seem like they were about to do anything of the sort. Instead they got to explore the arena some more, and get the hang of where things were. It was essentially almost like a little floating piece of paradise, with lush fields and crystal clear water. Steep, erratic mountains dotted the place, but they were jagged and rocky enough to climb, while being sturdy enough to not crumble under a tribute's weight.

Gill and Flora took to one of these mountains, utilizing the resources at the top, and otherwise making camp there as they held onto their vantage point. There was no sign of the career pack, but they weren't in any rush.

The days flew by, and by day 8, Flora and Gill had remained all but undisturbed atop their little mountain peak. Luna and Sterling had done a spectacular job at taking out some of the other tributes, and after spending nearly 48 hours on an elaborate trap system that was set to go off around their entire camp, they waited, setting up tents in plain sight, and even lightning a fire and cooking food. They were baiting the careers.

Evening 9 was when they finally received the fruits of their labor. The career pack set off the trap, which electrocuted and impaled all four of them, killing James, Mara, Rick, and Taylor all but simultaneously. Four cannons went off, and out in the distance, the pair from District 4 knew that the time was nigh at hand for them to make their move. There were now only 5 tributes left.

However, the Capitol was not about to let them off so easily. Perhaps in earlier games, a tribute could get away with hiding out for a majority of the games, but after nearly a century of careful planning and scheming on the Gamemakers' part, that just wouldn't do in a time when the bar was set much higher.

As a result, the two of them found themselves fighting off giant bird-mutts of some sort, with fiery-red plumage and razor sharp beaks and talons. They put up an impressive fight, with Gill nearly losing an arm (and plenty of blood), and Flora eventually losing her life from blood loss after one of them gouged her chest. She refused to die just yet though, and helped her partner slay the last half a dozen or so before finally bringing that fiasco to an end. Armed with nothing but a broken whiskey bottle (from a sponsor with a particular sense of humor; it had been good whiskey too) and a trident, the injured Gill trekked across the arena to try and find the last three tributes.

The straggler, a boy from District 7, was caught off guard by Gill's sudden presence the next morning, and received a trident through the chest. The only ones standing between him and victory now were Luna and Sterling. He decided to bait them, knowing that the only way to draw them out was for them to realize that he was not about to fall into their traps. He sabotaged one of them with a rock, injuring the District 3 pair but not actually killing them, and that was enough to put them into hot pursuit. Gill led them across the island all the way to the cliffs before turning on them like a cornered beast. He plunged his trident through Sterling's neck, before wrenching it back out and impaling Luna with it only seconds later. The Capitol had almost expected some kind of trick with the boundaries of the arena, but instead, Gill won cleanly, becoming the 8th victor from District 4, and the 90th victor of the games.

Gill never did learn the mystery of the arena he was in. He never learned if it was actually a floating island, or if it was just a very cleverly-crafted illusion by the Capitol, and neither did anyone else. After a while he stopped wondering or caring much about it, but the wild style of the arena did influence the victor to walk on the wilder side of life similar to his predecessor. Not all victors went crazy after escaping the arena. For some of them, crazy was their therapy…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)


	91. The 91st Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we kick off the 2nd Golden Age as we reach the final stretches of the Victors' Chronicles. As the title and number of this chapter suggest, this is year 91. Much like '74 and '75, I have a full-length version of this story that goes into even greater detail than this chapter does, and so if you like this chapter, I strongly recommend reading the full account in my story "The 91st Annual Hunger Games". Hopefully you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 91st Annual Hunger Games**

After nearly a century of Hunger Games, the Capitol had a pretty good idea of what did and did not work, and even the tributes usually became pretty savvy as to how the games worked. Volunteers were still fairly rare outside of the career districts of 1 and 2, but even the tributes that got reaped had a tendency to still perform well. Scores were often very high, and even tributes from the outer districts had figured out ways to put the week of training to use.

The 91st Annual Hunger Games were considered one of the best years in Hunger Games history, even after the fact, and was almost universally accepted to be the year that kicked off the "2nd Golden Age" of the Hunger Games. Full of drama, intrigue, backstabbing, friendship, and heartbreak, they had the perfect makings for a glorious game, and the magnificent arena that they would be taking place in would only make them even better. The year before had been a hit with the dynamic oceanic arena, but this year was not only expected to outshine it—but was expected to fully blow it out of the water.

Panem knew that there would be intrigue this year the moment they laid eyes on the District 12 reapings. From the glass bowl emerged two very similar names: Wesley Togisala and Aveline Togisala. Anyone who saw the tribute pair on the stage could tell at once why this would be a heartbreak—the two Togisalas were siblings. Ava was a particularly tiny little thing a few inches shy of 5 feet despite being 15 years old, and so it was easy to confuse her for a child.

Apart from the usual volunteers from '1 and '2, a large boy from District 10 and a small girl from District 4 actually volunteered as well, bringing interesting flavors to the tribute pool. One the other hand, the career pack this year looked to become very large: District 1's Zaffre Jade and Lazuli Cohen had not only recruited Chaco Haden and Chel Colorado from District 2, but they had also taken in District 3's Samuel Fukui and Alice Kahn. Shortly afterwards, Cress Tallulah from District 4 joined them, as did his little volunteer partner, Iris Durango.

True to the Capitol's predictions, most of the tributes scored high. Chel Colorado, the mighty girl who towered above most women (at 6'2"), scored perfectly, as did the cunning little 14-year-old Iris Durango. Wes and Ava, the little Togisala siblings, scored a 7 and a 5, and so many of the gamblers began to overlook the two of them. Wesley was fairly sure his sister had held back, given that she had spent most of the training time with the career pack, apparently getting into most of their good graces, particularly with Chel. If they could have a powerful ally like that, perhaps they would be able to give the mining district another much-needed victor.

The remaining careers scored between 9 and 11, with Cress even scoring a 9, and the District 3 boy and girl scoring an 11 and an 8 respectively. Magnolia Chang, a girl from District 7, scored an 11 as well, while a District 8 boy named Roy O'Donnell scored a 10. All in all, it was clear that there were cunning and powerful tributes this year.

The day of the games finally arrived and the tributes found their arena to be a vast series of mountain vistas and forests that was actually rather beautiful to behold. It was almost like a target—There was a mountainous outer ring, followed by a river valley, then an inner ring with another valley (this one only had small brooks and streams, however), and then the bullseye of the target was the cornucopia plateau. All of this was covered in breathtaking greenery and trees, contrasted delightfully against a blue sky with large, puffy blue clouds that had the tributes staring in awe. Of course, they only spent about 59 seconds gazing at it in such awe and wonder before the gunshot went off and the games began.

True to some people's predictions, Wesley did not survive the opening minutes. However, his sister Aveline, as well as the decently-scoring District 11 pair (both 8s) managed to escape. Aveline's escape was not only surprising, but also remarkable. She betrayed the short-lived (if even existent) career alliance by shooting Cress in the head with an arrow. It was this action that caused his partner Iris to slay Aveline's brother (as she learned later on), but at the moment, she was fleeing from them. Interestingly enough, Chel also defected from the pack, joining Ava. As they were cornered on the edge of a cliff, Chel grabbed Ava and dove over the side of the cliff and into the river below.

Remarkably, they survived, albeit slightly waterlogged. However, they managed to find shelter for the evening where Ava learned her brother did not survive. All this did, however, was harden her resolve and increase her determination to return home.

The days passed, and the gimmick of this year's arena began to show. The large river that formed a circle around one "ring" of the arena, was rising. Chel, Ava, and the others all wondered what would happen when it reached the top, but they focused on the here and now rather than the subtly rising river.

The days wore on, and while Chel, Ava, and the remaining careers were unable to confront each other, Roy and Magnolia met their demises within a few days as well: the former at the hands of Ava, shortly after he had killed the latter himself. By this point—the 9th day, the river was nearly at the outer peaks of the inner mountain ring.

Another fairly new development was that Chel and Aveline had become more than just allies—they had become friends. Chel's amiable and playful demeanor meshed harmoniously with Ava's witty and sarcastic persona, and with Aveline's intelligence and speed, combined with Chel's cunning and strength, the two made a rather formidable pair. Ava also revealed that she had in fact been holding back during her private session, noting that she had practiced the weapons with her right hand, when in reality, Aveline was left-handed. Perhaps this would one day serve to her advantage.

In the meantime, the two tributes remained on the move, with Ava's survival skills helping them stay safe, and Chel's strength helping them stay protected.

Sooner or later though, they had a confrontation with the six remaining careers: the girls from Districts 1, 3, and 4; and the boys from Districts 1, 2, and 3. They split Ava and Chel apart, with Iris, leading two of the others after Ava, and the other three going after Chel. They chased Ava towards a ravine, knocking her into it as Iris' knife landed in Ava's arm. The tiny girl fell motionless to the bottom of the pit and remained there, as a cannon went off. Chel heard it, and assumed it to be Ava, which in turn made her fight hard enough that the remaining careers fled, despite Iris and the other two rendezvousing with them. Chel even cracked Iris' arm, but she let them flee as she regrouped to get ready for what she suspected would be a more proper 5-on-1 battle. After all, Alice Kahn didn't survive Chel's wrath. The others decided that mocking Ava the way Alice had done, was not a good idea.

The Capitol deliberately did not show who had actually died, in order to build suspense. In truth, a District 5 girl named Violet Crossley had bled out at this exact moment from Chel's throwing axe lodging itself in her shoulder. Only later in the evening after the anthem played did they show the faces. Upon realizing that Ava was not dead, Chel got up from her camp and immediately began hunting for her little District 12 friend in the dark.

She found Ava at the bottom of the ravine, soaked in water and covered in mud, but the young girl was still alive, and so Chel wasted no time carrying her back to her camp and trying to nurse her back to health. She knew that there would have to be a final confrontation soon. The last time they had attempted a final confrontation, a forest fire (surely triggered by the Gamemakers to prevent the last 8 tributes all dying at once) separated them, and this time, none of them were going to let that happen again. The next time they met would be the last time they met.

Sure enough, soon cannons for the District 11 pair rang out and their faces graced the sky that night, alongside Lazuli, who had likely died in the fight. By this time the water from the river was looming ominously at the peaks of the inner ring mountains, as if about to flood over—but 13 days in and no such thing had happened yet. Early that next morning, Chel and Ava confronted Zaffre, Chaco, and Samuel, deciding on an end-all duel here and now. Incidentally, Ava was the one to start this fight, grabbing Chel's axe right out of her hand and sending it whizzing through the air and into Zaffre's chest. Chaco and Samuel were fierce (and even respectable) fighters, but they were overpowered by Chel and Ava, who now just needed to hunt down Iris.

Before they were able to run into the scythe-wielding killer from District 4, however, they ran into a black-clad humanoid figure that, for a moment, they thought was a tribute. Instead, it turned out to be a mutation of sorts—designed in the likeness of a woman, except with claws on its hands and feet, bright red eyes, greyish brown skin, and pointed ears. It was swift and vicious, and nearly shaved three years clean off of Aveline's life before she and Chell killed it by stabbing it repeatedly. These creatures, dubbed "Night Witches" by some, had surfaced on and off, most notably being first seen around the 45th Hunger Games. There was thankfully only one of these creatures in the 91st arena, but the fact that they were making a comeback was an ominous thought indeed.

Chel and Ava returned to the cornucopia, figuring that day 14 would be the final showdown. Every game since the 87th had lasted 14 days, after all, and so perhaps it was a more streamlined trend as well.

The 14th morning came and the arena finally flooded, covering the valley in water just as well, leaving little more than the large cornucopia plateau above the waves. Chel and Ava quickly deducted that if a cannon had not gone off, that meant Iris was either flailing in the water somewhere off in the distance, or she was hiding somewhere on this otherwise featureless plateau (now island).

They had hardly suggested this to each other before Iris sprang out from behind the cornucopia and attacked, leaving several large lacerations on Chel before attempting to kill the massive girl slowly and painfully. Aveline, furious at the aspect, tackled Iris and managed to overpower her, forcing her head under the water and nearly drowning her before venting on this girl—with her fists. Only after she saw Iris' battered face and her submissive, weary expression that had accepted defeat, did Ava put Iris out of her misery and end her life.

By this time, however, Chel was dying from blood loss and perhaps a bit of poisoning from the venom that had apparently been on Iris' blade. Before Ava could put her out of her misery, however, a gigantic bird rose out from the water, coming right towards them.

It was clear why this would become one of the most memorable games in history a moment later. Chel mustered her strength and threw Aveline at the bird. The tiny tribute clung to it, knowing that Chel had not been trying to feed her to the bird—but that she had been trying to get Ava to land on it so that she could kill it.

A tiny little 15-year-old was now flying on the back of a gigantic phoenix mutt that was trying to shake her off. It managed to nearly kick her off its talon, but she launched her grappling hook, a tool she had received from a particularly generous sponsor the previous day, and reeled herself back onto the bird-mutt's back. Using her knives, she stabbed her way up the bird's back before reaching its head, plunging the blade right into its skull and killing it.

Next came a several hundred foot freefall, but luckily for Ava, the bird softened her fall and so all she suffered were a few bruises, and was a little shaky on her feet. Chel, however, was growing pale and Ava knew that she was going to die. It hurt her deeply to have to kill her best friend, even if it was to put her out of her misery. However, Chel begged Ava to do it, assuring her that she died happy, and that she had done what she had come here to do. After a few more parting words, Ava plunged the blade into Chel's sternum and ended the games, tears flowing freely down her face as she lamented the loss of her best friend, and her brother as well. However, Aveline was another of several victors that were greatly improving her district's track record. She had just become the 5th victor from District 12, and the 91st victor of the Hunger Games.

Ava's trauma was mostly connected to Iris Durango, and her victory tour stop in District 4 gave her trouble. She never fully got over the loss of her beloved brother Wesley or her wonderful friend Chel, but Ava was a strong-willed type, like most of District 12 was. Despite having killed both tributes from District 2 that year, she was fairly well-received, because she had honored the fallen tributes with sincerity, explaining that it was business—part of the games. That was the District 2 mentality that they used, and so to see someone from such an unlikely place as District 12 preach that, actually garnered approval from most. Besides, everyone knew that Ava would not have killed Chel if she had had a choice in the matter. But, there could only be one victor, and the gigantic girl was dying at that point anyways, and so Ava ended her life quickly instead of watching her suffer.

On the other hand, Ava's victory was just one of many that was starting to set things in motion that could not be undone. The revolution whose seeds were planted by Alice DeSiete nearly 50 years ago had taken root, and the days of their dormancy were drawing thin.

In the meantime, Ava Togisala was quite fine with biding her time like the rest of her fellow citizens and comrades. District 12 had easily become the most rebellious and anti-Capitol district of Panem by this point, but like Ava in the games, they were discreet about it, downplaying their own strength and smarts to look less threatening, and thus the Capitol left them alone. As long as they could keep up this ruse, they would be able to last—and remain out of the Capitol's spotlight for the time being…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)


	92. The 92nd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Much like the previous chapter, this one is also based off of one of my existing full-length fics as the 2nd Golden Age continues. While it obviously contains spoilers for the aforementioned fic, it is by no means as detailed or comprehensive, and so if you enjoy it, feel free to give "The 92nd Annual Hunger Games" a read. Otherwise, here is installment 92 of my AU Hunger Games._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 92nd Annual Hunger Games**

After the thrilling and gripping games of the previous year, the Capitol knew that they would have to step up their game for the upcoming year. They had just the idea for this arena as well, and began putting it into practice as soon as they were able, hoping to get it ready in time for the 92nd Annual Hunger Games. Luckily for them, they were successful in this endeavor, and the Gamemakers were rather excited to try their new tricks out.

This year also managed to provide a slew of powerful tributes, from volunteers in Districts 1, 2, and 3, all the way to high-scoring powerhouses from the outlying districts, and even from others like 8, 4, and 5. These would be the test subjects of this new arena, which was more dynamic than the exciting one before it.

It was surprising to see a pair of volunteers from a district like District 3, but Shaft Monroe and Asher Carrol were making their way to the stage as they volunteered for the games that year, where their training scores of 10 and 11 respectively meant that they would be a formidable force indeed.

District 11 also failed to disappoint, with the strong but mysterious Dante Daniels and Cherry Valdez both scoring solid 9s; while District 12 produced Rafael West and Monica Savage, the former scoring a 10 and the latter scoring an 11.

It was District 2 that attracted the most attention that year though—which said something, since they managed to shine brighter than they usually did, considering they were career tributes that were often favored by sponsors and the Capitol. Comically, they were also about as different as they came. The boy, Marcus Romero, was a towering beast of a man standing at 6'4" and weighing in at 200 pounds—twice as much as his little partner, 14-year-old Amy Zavala, a little 93-pound girl who barely stood up at 4'10". She wound up being the smallest tribute in the entire games, smaller even than the 13-year-olds from Districts 5 and 7 that year.

The Gamemakers left each and every tribute with the same cryptic message during their private sessions this year, and based on the confused discussions that followed, it was clear that none of them knew what the phrase "you catch more Night Witches with honey" meant.

Whatever the case, with so many high-scoring tributes it was sure to be a very promising games much like the one before it. The tributes had sort of divided into three 'factions' before the games: the career pack, which consisted of both tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 3; and then the outlying alliance, which had both tributes from Districts 12, 11, and 8. The third faction were the rest of the 'neutral' tributes, who many people felt would not last long because of these two powerful alliances.

Sure enough, all but two of the non-allied tributes were killed in the bloodbath, bringing the total bloodbath kill count up to 10 this year, and the games were on. The array of weaponry and supplies at the cornucopia seemed normal except for the occasional jar of honey, that most tributes simply overlooked for the oddness of its presence. Dante and Cherry vanished towards the south right away, while Districts 8 and 12 headed northeast. Amy and Marcus led the careers into taking the cornucopia, where they basked in the glory of the Capitol's 'benevolence' for most of the evening. Shortly after the cannons fired, however, was something that rocked the careers off of their high horses—a slew of humanoid creatures with black hair and clothing, greyish brown skin, and glowing red eyes, raided their camp. The humanoid mutts—often dubbed "Night Witches", given their dark colorations and their otherworldly attributes and behavior—had returned. Amy and Marcus were separated from the others, and it was at this point that they discovered what this arena was like—it was a giant hedge maze, at first glance, and that alone made it worth keeping their guards up. There was no telling who—or what—might be behind this corner or that.

They woke up later the next morning having no clue where they were. Apparently they had just run until they had collapsed, and here they were. After eating a little and getting up to scout around the maze, they ran into another of the Night Witches, where suddenly the presence of the honey and the words of the Gamemaker began to make sense.

Using the honey as a bait, Amy and Marcus managed to coax the creature into following—and later fighting—for them, much to their delight.

They were able to migrate back to the cornucopia, only to find it overrun by half a dozen of these creatures, and they certainly did not have enough honey for them all. Thus, they chose to flee rather than fight, and managed to shake their aggressors off, only to find that the terrain of the arena was rather different in this corner. The grassy paths of the central region of the maze had faded away into a more rocky terrain that seemed to be moving uphill. The fact that there were hedges here was clearly the Capitol's work, and any other tribute that saw them knew they were unnatural.

Things started to literally heat up as they discovered that the northwestern region of the maze was on the slopes of a volcano. Marcus and Amy were not sure where any of the others were, but all they knew was that they were being chased around by arena hazards left and right. They were not alone in this regard. The pairs from Districts 8, 12, 1, and 3, while all in different places, had met similar fates, although '8 and '12 managed to stick together, as did '1 and '3. There were no signs of Cherry and Dante from District 11 this whole time, however.

Shortly after Spark died, bringing the surviving number of tributes down to twelve, Amy and Marcus met up with their fellow careers from Districts 1 and 3, and soon they went back on the prowl. They ran into Monica from District 12 down one of the longer, narrower corridors, and they knew at once that a fight was going to take place here. They had her outnumbered 6 to 1, but Monica's stouthearted District 12 spirit was not so easily crushed. The fight soon turned into a battle as she snapped her fingers, causing Rafael, Talon, and Azure to appear out of the hedgework.

A fast-paced scuffle in the narrow corridor took place, which actually did not result in any casualties, although Asher, Amy, and Marcus were seriously injured from the fight, as were Talon and Monica from the outer districts. As the careers fell back, they decided to take back the cornucopia from the Night Witches—a task that they were able to successfully do with the six of them. Marcus and Amy might have been strong, but they knew that their allies were useful as well.

Days 7 and 8 were uneventful, with the only real unusual incident happening was the sun did not come up at all during those times—a common trick used by the Capitol. By the 9th day, however, the tributes were better rested and ready for action. Luster suggested that they split into three pairs to help weed out Districts 8 and 12, but his plan wound up being his own undoing. He and Charm had been ambushed by the District 8 pair, who had gotten a good shot on him and ended his life. However, Shaft managed to get a good shot on Talon, retaliating for Luster's death, and thus a life for a life had been exchanged. Azure was unfazed about being outnumbered 5-to-1, however, and so she fought to her last breath. While Marcus went in with his heavy sword, Amy took the kill by lodging one of her knives in Azure's throat. Once District 8 was gone, the careers returned to the cornucopia again. It was one of the few safe places in the arena, they figured.

The next morning proved this theory right, although later in the afternoon, their concerns of an ambush from District 12 were validated as Charm was sniped right in the forehead by Monica's arrow. Unlike in earlier years where they were often fodder, this year just like the last, had served as a reminder that District 12 was no longer messing around. She and Rafael were clinging to the hedge walls and making their shots, and so Amy felt a need to put that nonsense to an end. Throwing a knife right for Monica's face that she knew the older girl couldn't properly dodge from her position, it instead snapped her bowstring, which slashed her hand right open. Obviously without Monica's bow, they no longer had a vantage point, and so they fled. Marcus, Amy, Shaft, and Asher knew that they would not be facing their adversaries in direct combat.

The evening did not get any better. The Night Witches returned, which caused a fight to break out. The odd element of this situation was that these creatures brought a hazy fog with them this time, and when the tributes attacked the mutts, they disappeared in clouds of smoke.

Marcus insisted that they were illusions, and his theory was put to the test a moment later as Shaft exclaimed that there was a wildfire approaching them. Asher disagreed, claiming it was a rushing wave of water, while Amy was jumping around frantically, thinking the ground was opening up beneath them.

Marcus was the one to come to the rescue. He was sponsored a gas mask, and the moment he put it on all of the hallucinations stopped. They were surrounded by nothing but otherwise harmless (albeit hallucinatory) fog, and so he bellowed for them to get out of here. Controlling the cornucopia was not worth losing their sanity over.

The arena proved to be as sinister as the tributes feared it was, for when days 11 and 12 dawned, there was no sunlight to be seen. However, just like the morning of day 10, the morning of day 13 had some wild surprises in store. The ground really did begin collapsing into the water. It was not that deep, but was enough to soak Asher completely before Marcus yanked her out. To make matters worse, Rafael and Monica were on the walls and in hot pursuit. They had the edge since they did not need to flee from the advancing waters that would make the careers sitting ducks, and they capitalized on this advantage by attacking Shaft and Asher, who did not run as fast as Amy or Marcus. At this point, however, they were all on solid ground, and so Amy and Marcus prepared for combat. Unfortunately but predictably for them, the District 12 pair set right back off into the corners of the maze again.

The remainder of the 13th day seemed to seal off District 12 from reaching the cornucopia where Marcus and Amy rested. It seemed the Gamemakers were planning something big.

And yet when the 14th morning came, everything seemed quiet and serene. Deciding to take a trek northward, Amy and Marcus found one of the most unsettling things that they had seen the entire time: The maze had reverted to normal, and the passages and corridors had changed. Moments later, they heard a crackling noise, and realized that the walls had suddenly become electrified. They wasted no time rushing back to the cornucopia clearing. Shortly after their arrival, they found themselves face to face with District 11 and half a dozen Night Witches. It explained where those two had been, and they knew at once that there was no backing out of this one.

One of the craziest and fiercest fights of all time took place here, and the weirdest part about it was that the District 11 pair seemed to be controlling the Night Witches to great effect. The battle was fierce, but ultimately, Dante and Cherry fell to Marcus and Amy's blades, and their Night Witches did as well. However, it gave birth to another mystery—how had two tributes from one of the most impoverished districts in Panem managed to hijack control of the Capitol mutts?

They would worry about it later. For now they decided to try and catch their breath for when District 12 inevitably returned. Oddly, Amy was sponsored a coil of wire, which she assumed had something to do with the electrical walls, but she couldn't put her finger on it, and so wrapped it around her arm and otherwise waited.

Sure enough, an attack came their way as Rafael threw a blade at Marcus' chest. The larger boy was able to block it, responding instantly by throwing his sword right through the District 12 boy's gut. However, right as they both sprang up to look for Monica, her arrow sailed out of the darkness and struck Marcus fatally in the chest. The fight between the final two tributes was on. They disarmed each other and then grappled for dominance. Amy threw some of the wire Monica's way, although realized that this was a stupid mistake a few moments later as Minica yanked it and threw Amy off of her feet. She began to drag the tinier girl towards one of the electrified walls, but this was where she made her move.

She unraveled the wire from her hand and threw it with considerable velocity at the wall. It electrocuted Monica enough to paralyze her, and Amy used this moment of stunning to kick Monica right into the wall, where the electricity hit her full force and zapped the remaining life force right out of it. Amy had just become the 16th victor from District 2, and the 92nd victor of the Hunger Games.

The insane, fast-paced action of the 92nd Hunger Games was certainly memorable to say the least. Amy's own trauma was simply a hollow feeling that she could not shake off. Everything had happened so quickly that she simply felt nothing for it. She had unintentionally fallen in love with Marcus, and so his loss struck her harder than she admitted.

Despite being from the most loyal district in Panem, Amy was part of small rift forming especially between the victors of District 2 and the others, about rebellion and discontent with the Capitol. They were laying low for the time being, but they were preparing to set things into motion just like their neighbors over in District 12 were. War was coming…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)


	93. The 93rd Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _Like the previous chapters, this one has a full-length fanfic based off of it, so y'all should totally read and favorite "The 93rd Annual Hunger Games" and what have you. The victor of this chapter is an important character in one of my other fanfics as well; definitely a face to watch for. Whatever the case, he's installment 93._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 93rd Annual Hunger Games**

The fast-paced action and events of the previous year's Hunger Games were still fresh on people's minds as the next year rang in. If the Gamemakers could continue their ongoing trend, they would possibly be able to make the 10th decade of the Hunger Games become another "Golden Age of Games" the way the latter half of the 5th decade had been.

As such, the Capitol, the Gamemakers, and the betters' guilds all had high hopes for the 93rd Annual Hunger Games as the plans began to unfold and the tributes were brought in. Like a lot of recent tributes, this year's batch seemed rather promising, producing five volunteers: the usual four from District 1 and District 2, as well as a boy from District 6 named Garrett Locke, who volunteered to protect a small girl named Alayna Marth, a 13-year-old who was reaped only moments earlier.

By contrast, Victor Caruso and Korra Francisco from District 2 were the usual confident, cocky, and somewhat abrasive and gung-ho volunteer career tributes bent on making a name for themselves and coming home showered in glory after they had thinned out the tribute pool and then turned on their allies near the end of the game.

District 12 produced a promising fighter named Sacajawea Kwan (quickly nicknamed "Saki") who looked like she could come toe to toe with any of the other careers and possibly even come out on top. Rumors had it that controversy surrounded her reaping, and Saki herself knew that it had been rigged due to her status as a prominent rebel among the District 12 community. The district was growing tense as of recent, especially as Aveline Togisala's victory reminded them of their strength. Loyalty to the Capitol was thinning, and Saki was one of these rebel leaders.

While District 1's Cobalt Efran and Vivian Nelson seemed ditzy on the outside, both of them performed spectacularly in training, receiving high scores. Victor was one of two tributes to score a perfect 12, while the other was Saki. Garrett and Korra both scored 11s, while Vivian and the District 11 pair, Sheaf and Laura, both scored 10s. If the District 11 tributes were as cunning and nefarious as their counterparts from the previous year, then the career pack had a valid threat on their hands.

Instead of taking it as a threat, however, one of the careers took initiative and invited her to join the career pack that year, which, to their surprise, she agreed to. Korra was lauded for her cleverness by the other three careers, and Saki joined the group in turn.

Unbeknownst to the other careers, however, Saki was going into these games knowing that she was not coming back out. President Snow himself pulled her aside to warn her that he had blatantly rigged her reaping, and that people would die if she were to emerge the victor. After learning this revelation, she aimed to go into the arena with a plan of action.

Unlike last year's maze or the previous year's mountainous forest, this year's arena shaped up to be a desert full of jagged rocks and cliffs. As someone from the masonry district, Korra and her partner Victor felt right at home.

The bloodbath was fairly ordinary although still intense as the high-scoring tributes demonstrated their agility, power, and cunning, with only 9 tributes keeping this cornucopia clearing as their final resting place this year. The career pack, this year officially consisting of Cobalt, Vivian, Victor, Korra, and Sacajawea—rounded up the supplies and made camp at the cornucopia that evening as they watched the faces of fallen tributes light up the evening sky. However, due to the nature of Saki's predicament, the Gamemakers had been instructed to keep her on her toes, and that was exactly what they did. Early the next morning they split the career pack by attacking them with flaming meteors. Victor teamed up with the District 1 pair as they split, while Korra followed Saki. In turn, the former of these groups soon found themselves in the clear while the other two tributes found themselves fleeing in attempts to find safety. It took them several terrifying minutes to prevent being incinerated and crushed, but eventually they found refuge as the meteors stopped.

It was here that Saki finally explained to Korra what the early attack was all about. To her surprise, Korra seemed very passionate about the rampant injustice that the Capitol inflicted upon Saki, but the District 12 girl told her not to sweat it for now. They spent the rest of the afternoon scouting out the arena to get an idea of what it was like. The jagged rocks, small canyons, and arid landscape seemed to be the norm around here, although Saki predicted that the clouds that rolled in by the late afternoon would rain acid on them. Fortunately she was only half correct: it rained on them, but it was just normal water.

This was likely correlated with the flora that had started to grow sometime during the night. They woke up the next morning to find that the formerly dry, rocky landscape was a little lusher. Overall it was still arid, but not as arid as it had been.

They had hardly gotten up for the day when Korra received a sponsor gift consisting of a jagged sword. The message that came with it was enough to make jump and attack: It literally warned that a huge monster was breathing down her neck. After spinning around and slashing it, Korra discovered that it was some kind of bear mutt, and it had brought friends along. However, Korra did not care that they were now suddenly outnumbered 8-to-1, and in her fury she hardly even realized that they had attacked Saki. All she cared about was that it was not going to happen again, and to ensure this, Korra flew into combat with the rage of a berserker, not stopping until she had used her sword, Saki's arrows, and her own agility and brute strength to end the lives of every one of these creatures. She swore aloud that they would not have Saki, and she lived up to it. Of course, after her berserker rage simmered down, she needed a bit of rest, and so they ate some bear-mutt meat and called it an afternoon.

Saki learned that some of Korra's aggressive attitude actually stemmed from a humble insecurity. Further conversation also revealed that she had a gullible streak, much to Korra's chagrin. However, despite her jokes, Saki was actually nervous—Day 4 had completely passed without a single trap. The closest thing to a trap was Saki nearly shooting Koshu Varada, the District 3 boy. Instead, he successfully argued his case and convinced them to let him join them. His partner was not so lucky. That night when the anthem played, Koshu's partner Argenta Lao had her face in the sky, and Koshu revealed that they had parted ways when she had not wanted to take the chance he did. He assumed the other careers had gotten her.

The arena continued to get gradually more lush and humid, but Korra managed to shift those thoughts aside after she was sponsored another sword identical to her first one. Saki still expected traps or hazards to come her way since none happened on day 4, but instead all that the trio ran into were the other three careers, who seemed much less frazzled by all that. While the reunion was pleasant at first, it quickly went south as Cobalt realized that Koshu was the partner of Argenta, who had died at his hand. Both packs of tributes suddenly grew uneasy around each other until Korra managed to help diffuse the tension by explaining that it was too early for them to be at each other's throats. The leadership skills Korra wielded in diffusion the tense situation had Saki's gears turning as she mused about the possibility of Korra becoming the leader of something far greater. For now she kept quiet about that though. 7 other tributes (apart from the 6 of them) still drew breath, which meant that there was still plenty of opposition to go around.

Evening came and the careers were met with another rather nasty surprise: similar to the year before, these humanoid mutts made an appearance, except this time they were equipped with wings alongside their fangs, sharp claws, and red eyes. It did not take long for Korra to unleash her might as a berserker once again, however, and before they knew it, half of these monsters were dead at her feet. Koshu, Saki, and the others had helped, but most of the damage had been done by Korra, who was fiercely protecting her friend. Such was how day 5 ended, and so soon the arena fell silent as the tributes slept.

The tension between Koshu and the other careers came to a point early the next morning. The wily District 3 boy had offered to keep watch, and he did a good job at it for most of the evening. However, early the next morning a cannon fired, and by the time the careers had awoken, they discovered Cobalt dead with a knife plunged into his chest, and Koshu was nowhere to be found.

Korra offered to have them split up again as to keep the tension from dividing too soon. She did not want Vivian and Victor turning on her this soon. The arena was still gradually growing more humid, with plant life and flora gradually springing to life in and on the rocks as if the arena was a chia pet. Korra and Saki made the mistake of exploring the trench and nearly getting killed by crumbling canyon walls. As such, Korra got Saki on her back and climbed them both out of there. Chuckling at their escape, Korra and Saki spoke more about this subtle revolution before they were interrupted by another cannon firing.

Neither one had an idea who it might have been, although they both started to think it was Jeremy (Sacajawea's partner) considering that he had allied with District 11, and that at this point the District 11 pair were in front of them.

Deciding to back away for now, the two groups parted ways, and another cannon went off. The faces that appeared in the sky that night were Cobalt, the District 5 girl, and Jeremy, leaving 10 other tributes.

That number would change within a couple days. As the arena grew more and more humid, day 7 saw an interesting conflict between the District 11 pair and Victor and Vivian. Sheaf and Laura had placed their weapons in a fire and had caught the two careers off guard. They gave chase with the red-hot weapons, and Sheaf overtook Vivian, throwing his axe with such velocity that it severed her right arm between the elbow and the shoulder. The heat from the weapon cauterized the wound and Vivian was knocked down, but not out. As Sheaf jumped on top of her to snatch his weapon, Vivian snatched it up first, swinging it back around and lodging it into the boy's spinal column, instantly killing him. She would proceed to do great things despite missing an arm.

She and Victor encountered Korra and Saki one more time, and agreed to part ways for good, since the tribute pool grew smaller and smaller each day and they didn't want to kill each other just yet. However, Laura was not finished with them and she managed to ambush them once again, killing Victor. Before she could reach Vivian, however, she was shot down by Koshu. The two of them agreed to truce for the time being, and scoured the arena for other tributes. Vivian managed to kill the District 8 boy by throwing her sword and hitting him with the hilt. It knocked him down and allowed her a finishing strike, and she found the notion of throwing your sword to be rather funny after that.

In the meantime, Saki and Korra had found the elusive District 6 pair, and it was suddenly clear why they were so intimidating: both of them looked crazed from withdrawals. Korra got too close to little Alayna for comfort, and when she screamed Korra habitually attacked and killed her, which of course only set her partner into a fit of rage as he barreled after them. She and Saki managed to shake him off, but Garrett ran into Vivian and Koshu, signaling the end of that alliance. Vivian knew that she did not need to outrun Garrett; she just needed to outrun Koshu, and so that was what she did.

The final days of the arena saw the remaining four tributes draw closer together. Vivian ran into Korra and Saki again, and, knowing that she was outnumbered and outclassed due to her lack of a dominant arm, asked to settle it in a duel against Sacajawea, who agreed to it. For a while it seemed that they were equally matched until Saki revealed that she was not in fact left handed. Vivian surrendered and accepted her defeat with a final farewell.

The final day of the Hunger Games had Korra and Saki working on building traps to try and stop Garrett, but despite his size and craziness, the large boy had managed to sneak up on them and snap Saki's neck. In a panicked fit of fury, Korra dove at him, sending both of them off a cliff. They smashed against both the rocks, still locked in a grapple before they hit the ground, Korra's ankles taking the brunt of the fall for both of them. Korra felt her ankles shatter and was certain her shins had buckled as well from the momentum. Garrett proceeded to smash her knees with the heels of his boots, and was about to finish her off before Korra managed to use her still-working arms to seize a rock and hurl it at him. It collided with the side of his head, knocking him down. Korra dragged herself over to him, taking the rock, and smashing his skull in with it, ending his life, and the games. Through a fierce, intense, and blood-soaked conflict, Korra had just become the 17th victor from District 2, and the 93rd victor of the Hunger Games.

Korra was horribly traumatized from her win, but she managed to rebound even if her victory tour was spent in a wheelchair. Her indifferent treatment by the Capitol, however, led her to the firm belief that Saki was right. As such, while she remained subtle about it, Korra Francisco became the Mockingjay—and planned to help spearhead another revolution in the near future…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)


	94. The 94th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This is where things take a peculiar turn. A while ago I once said that I intended to write fully-detailed stories chronicling the 91st-99th Hunger Games, and while that is stull true today, I had not anticipated "The Victors' Chronicles" being a thing. As such, this chapter obviously contains spoilers for my fic "The 94th Annual Hunger Games" but like the ones before it, the full-length story will go much further into detail about how things went down exactly. So... with that said, I'll spare the rant and get to the story._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 94th Annual Hunger Games**

With the way the 10th decade of the 'games was going, it was clear that this very well might have been the next "Golden Age" to rival that of the 5th decade over 50 years ago. The intricate arenas, powerful tributes, high training scores and nefarious Gamemaker tricks all made these games reach a new pinnacle of excitement, and the lineup for the 94th Annual Hunger Games was no exception.

It was clear from the get-go that there would be controversy just as there had been in years past, but the Capitol citizens had a tendency to thrive on that sort of thing, and so they not only did not mind it, but also welcomed it with open arms.

The controversy this year emerged from District 5, where a blind girl named Lucia Alzar was chosen for the games. A boy who stood out because of his fiery red curls named Cadence Montoya attempted to volunteer for her, but because of the nature of the games requiring a boy and a girl, he was only able to volunteer in place of another boy. To the surprise of some of the others, he did exactly that without hesitation, and stood by Lucia's side.

Of course, they would not go uncontested. District 2, which had won the last two games back-to-back (and thus far the only time it was not by siblings), produced Nazir Mateaki and Gabriela Sanchez. They were shooting to win a 3rd time, for even if they didn't, this was the 3rd time District 2 had won back-to-back games (the 1st time being during the 11th and 12th years, and the 2nd time being during the 81st and 82nd years). With the pair from District 1 at their side, they might have had a chance.

District 12 raised a few eyebrows that year, as Mani Tauanu'u and Sudi Ontanago were picked to approach the stage. Their dark skin and red face paint gave away their identities as the dangerous "Painted Tributes", which meant that anyone who went up against them had their work cut out for them. Despite all of this, Cadence and Lucia did not falter.

A certain level intrigue flowed through Cadence's mind as he learned the names of the District 1 tributes. He had heard Faren Dumar's name on the train, but it was not until they reached the training center that he learned the boy's partner had the quaint name of Serendipity Li. He dismissed her as another ditzy District 1 kid with a weird name, and thought little of her in training.

Everyone stopped laughing when Serendipity scored a 12. The only other tribute to do that well was Xandra Kanosh of District 11, while her partner, Kilon Sotega, scored a 9. Cadence and Nazir scored 11s, Faren and a District 9 girl named Fox Morrowson scored 10s, while her partner, Robin Destry, scored a 9 alongside Gabriela. The two painted tributes, Mani and Sudi, scored a 7 and an 8 respectively, but most of the other tributes figured they were holding back in some way (and while they would never know for sure thanks to the private sessions being private, both Mani and Sudi had held back). Poor Lucia only scored a 4, and everyone thought that she would be easy pickin's, especially since she was completely blind and had generally acted rather passive and harmless throughout most of training. On the other hand, the fact that she scored a 4 meant that she had done something. The lowest score for trying was a 1, while tributes that didn't show up at all, or that didn't do anything once inside their private session, would actually take a score of 0.

From the cornucopia clearing, it was difficult to tell what kind of arena the tributes should expect, and so the fighting went on as normal. Weapons were different this year, however, consisting of mostly knives or jagged pieces of metal. It didn't stop anyone—not even Cadence, from getting in on the action. Lucia, who had feigned total helplessness in the training center, proved to be surprisingly swift and agile with a knife, with reaction times that prevented her from being slaughtered off in the opening seconds like everyone thought she would. However, 9 other tributes were not so lucky, including Mani, both tributes from Districts 6, 7, and 10, as well as the boys from Districts 3 and 8 surprisingly. Cadence met up with Lucia and took her hand, leading her away from the carnage and off in the wilderness while the careers either picked the cornucopia clean or went scouting around.

Cadence did the scouting for his two-person alliance. The dark-colored rocks of the arena made the tributes blend in slightly easier considering their dark grey and black uniforms, but Lucia, who was unaware of this, simply curled into a ball and did this accidentally. Cadence explored the arena and discovered that it was rocky similar to the previous year, except much more organized. It was almost like a maze of cliffs, and more odd was that some of them appeared to shift and move. There had to be a sequence or pattern to it, and he wished to find it out.

Lucia proved to have a surprisingly keen sense of smell, perhaps to make up for her lack of eyesight. This proved invaluable to her and her partner, for she was able to pick out which plants and meats were edible and which ones were best avoided. The two of them set up camp for the evening after Cadence told Lucia who had all died in the bloodbath (since only images appeared in the sky, rather than the names being announced or anything).

Cadence woke up to quite a shock the next morning. The part of the cliff he was on was across the large chasm from where it had been the previous night. He also learned the easy way that Lucia had very keen hearing as well. She stirred, tapping Cadence's shoulder and grabbing a weapon. She warned him that there were tributes coming.

Sure enough, not more than a couple minutes later, they were ambushed by Isabela and Andraz, the tributes from District 4, who were wielding the knives and shards to dangerous effect. Lucia did not want to swing her blades wildly and hurt her partner, and so Cadence handled them pretty much alone, and in doing so also reminded Panem why he had scored an 11. His ferocity in volunteering for the games translated well to combat ferocity, and the end result was Isabela lying in a pool of her own blood with jagged shards of metal sticking out of her torso, and with Andraz's head rolling a few feet from his body after Cadence's blade decapitated him.

This year's arena didn't seem to change gradually the way the last few had. The only dynamic that the tributes had to watch out for thus far were the moving landmasses. None of them were terribly large; only about the size of a small house at most, but the arena was fast, and for each path they opened, they also closed one behind them.

Cadence took a glance down into the chasm to see what was down there (and because Lucia wondered and had asked him). All he was able to see were thick trees that were far enough down that impact with them would likely still kill anyone misfortunate to fall down there. Perhaps he'd have to find out.

The next few days passed without anyone really meeting anyone else, though fog set in on morning 5, making tributes tread more carefully, especially since a couple of the careers nearly slipped on one of the rocks near the Cliffside and nearly fell to their doom. This fog persisted for another day, during which time Gabriela took out Camilla Shao, the girl from District 8, but they were still unable to find the elusive District 5 pair. After all, Cadence, and by extension Lucia as well, had made enemies in the training center because of the fiery redhead's defiance. One of them managed to convince the District 3 girl, a kid named Ratchet, to join their crusade against Lucia and Cadence.

While the career pack was fixated on District 5, however, another menace in the arena was moving around, having so far been undetected. While her partner Mani had died in the bloodbath, Sudi was still at large, and felt that it was high time to start living up to her dangerous reputation as one of Panem's "Painted Tributes", and she knew exactly how to do it.

She had discovered that at least one of the moving cliffs moved at certain times of the day, and so she spent the next afternoon rigging herself a vantage point at one end. When the rock returned to this side, all she would have to do would be lasso a certain point and use it like a zipline, and destroy the platform before it could "land". While it was on the opposite side, however, she set a trap for the careers to lure them towards her. All she had to do now was wait.

Early the next morning she caused a diversion, waking the careers up. The moment they saw Sudi grinning maniacally in front of them and with some type of grenade in her hands, they knew they were in trouble. Gabriela threw a shard with such accuracy that, had Sudi's reflexes not been as psychotically swift as they were, she'd have been decapitated on the spot. She had to jump and duck and otherwise dodge projectiles thrown by the careers all the way to the edge of the cliff. Sure enough, right on time the platform began to move once the tributes were all on it, and Sudi raced to the opposite end, hiding in some of the taller trees for a moment. By the time the careers reached her, she had lassoed her rope towards the other side, sliding towards the other side of solid ground by using the rope as a zipline. She raised her grenade to throw it, but a knife from Serendipity knocked it right out of her hand. Faren jumped up to take initiative while the zipline was still taut, but Sudi had an alternative plan. She slashed the rope, sending Faren plunging to his death, where he vanished into the trees. She was surprised to hear his shouts from below that he was still alive. However, those shouts of victory became panicked as there was rustling in the trees, and a moment later a cannon went off. Sudi took off before the platform was close enough to jump off of, and the careers lost her trail. It was clear that even if a tribute survived the fall, they were not meant to be able to recover. The cliffs were all but sheer, and there were clearly monstrous mutts ready to tear apart anything or anyone unfortunate enough to fall down there.  
Cadence did not know what had happened, but as he saw Faren's face light up the sky that evening, he smirked. They were half done, and 7 days in, no less. It was setting up to be another 14-day games.

Day 8 saw the District 11 pair join up with Sudi to harass the careers some more, and Xandra successfully killed off Ratchet during a hunt, while Sudi claimed Gabriela's life the next day. Cadence and Lucia stayed out of the battle for a while, but on Day 10, Lucia finally met her end.

Fox and Robin, the pair from District 9, had been shills to one of the career tributes, and Cadence had a shrewd idea who. Fox claimed Lucia's life, causing Cadence to come after her with a single-minded fury rarely seen in the games. She hardly made it for more than a few minutes before Cadence ended her, and raced back to console his sweet partner in her final moments. Her cannon went off only moments before Fox's did. He knew in that moment that he would have to be the one to take down Serendipity.

While Cadence brooded in solitude, the remaining three careers (Serendipity and Nazir; as well as Robin by virtue of the revelation) were far from idle. The three of them managed to attack the District 11 pair and kill Kilon. However, their theories as to where Sudi had gone in that alliances were soon answered as a grenade flew in out of nowhere, striking Robin and blasting him with some sort of toxic powder that later claimed his life. The other two sustained injuries, but they managed to recover.

Nazir was the one to later claim Sudi's life. Even without her grenades, the girl was swift and powerful, but Nazir had a good throwing arm, and managed to impale Sudi with enough knives to finally topple her and end the painted girl's reign. That just left Xandra and Cadence.

Unfortunately for Nazir, he was next as Xandra put an axe through him to avenge Kilon, Sudi, and even Lucia. She then moved to seek out Serendipity before she found Cadence, although she was not so fortunate. Instead, she was the next victim in this deadly exchange of deaths over the final few days of the games, and took 3rd place after she was bested in single combat with Serendipity Li.

True to Cadence's prediction, the games reached their climactic finale on the 14th day, where the fiery-haired boy came at his adversary with a pair of large, jagged blades. The two of them clashed and sparred, with Serendipity taunting Cadence over Lucia's death a few times to stir him up, but instead this simply backfired. After a few moments of this, Cadence went into full berserker mode, lacerating the girl until she bled to death, which caused her cannon to fire. With that, Cadence became the 10th victor from District 5, and the 94th victor of the Hunger Games overall.

District 5 celebrated this victory pretty passionately, since Cadence's win made District 5 the only other district apart from the careers to cross the double-digit threshold with victors, and also ended an 18-year 'drought' that had been threatening District 5's reputation for producing victors. Fortunately for them, they still kept their 'position' on the charts, but unfortunately for Cadence, his life didn't get much easier. He became more hostile and distant than before, now being truly alone. His good looks earned him trips to the Capitol to be prostituted off like many attractive victors were, and there was only one thing that kept him in line, although he refused to tell anyone what—or who—it was. The games had fractured Cadence after Lucia was taken from him, and he had no strong feelings towards anyone else in the district. His best friend was dead, and everyone else had had interacted with was gone as well. Such was the brutal nature of the Hunger Games.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)


	95. The 95th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ Considering that I have outlines of the full-length version of this chapter in the works, this chapter will obviously also contain spoilers for that fic when it comes. Otherwise, This is another major-player victor that proves to be a ruthless killer. It is also one of my favourite characters._  
_That said, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 95th Annual Hunger Games**

No one was complaining about the exotic and exciting arrays of tributes, arenas, and game hazards that were cropping up during the most recent decade of the Hunger Games, and this era's batch of Gamemakers might have found the way to push the Hunger Games into their prime and their glory days. Ratings were higher than ever, and not just because of Panem's naturally increasing population. Sure the games might have been a mandatory watch, but in the Capitol, ratings were also literally that: ratings. Various Capitol citizens of considerably high importance actively judged and compared the games to one another, highlighting this or that about one game or another, and so far, the last few games had been considered among the best.

It was compliments like these that inspired the Gamemakers to continue in their holy crusade to make the most thrilling Hunger Games in history, and so as they drew up plans for the 95th Annual Hunger Games, there was a general attitude of overall excitement and even some hushed whispers circulating through Panem and the Capitol inner circles.

There was no real controversy during the reapings this year, but there were a surprisingly high number of volunteers. A girl named Sable Ogawa volunteered for District 7, and both tributes in Districts 1, 2, 3, and 4 all volunteered, bringing a total of nine volunteers to the games this year. An oddity here was that the District 4 pair: Lars Holiday and Nina Holiday, were siblings, and their erratic tendencies made them both unforgettable and also as individuals to watch out for.

The real intrigue, however, emerged from District 1. Malcolm Fletcher had the same gung-ho tendencies that were often seen in District 2, but his partner, Lux Calameda, seemed to be a new kind of tribute all on her own. The first thing everyone noticed about her was that she was completely silent. She either refused to speak at all or simply lacked the ability to. A tall, beautiful, golden-haired model of a girl, her silence was not the only thing turning heads her way. However, true to what many men might say about a woman that beautiful, her personality left a lot to be desired. Fiery and hostile similar to the District 5 victor from the year before, Lux was a fierce, antisocial creature that preferred solitude to the point where it was unclear if she was even going to join the career alliance.

While there were 9 volunteers this year, not all of them intended to form the same alliances. Lars and Nina stuck to themselves, and Lux didn't even associate much with the other careers. She could not verbally communicate with them, but made it clear that she would leave them alone in the early games so they could pick off other tributes without disruption. While this was completely true, the other careers did not realize that it was exactly part of Lux's scheme. She'd let them go after the other tributes while she planned ways to take them down at the end of the games. After all, no matter how friendly allied tributes became, they all betrayed one another out of selfishness or necessity by the time the games were over two or so weeks later.

While District 11's Lincoln Domingo and Mariah Santiago formed the typical 11-12 alliance with Colton Lasiere and Anna Shrike from '12, there was a 3rd alliance that sprung up this year barring the eccentric twins from District 4 (who could very well be considered the 4th alliance, appropriately). Sable Ogawa, the volunteer from District 7, teamed up with Linus Takamatzu and Glitch Montezuma from District 3, and the three of them proved to be a menacing little trio by the time all was said and done.

Training scores showed who was dangerous and who might not be as frightening to run into once the games started. Sable and Glitch scored 11s, and Linus scored a 12, becoming the ringleader of that alliance. Lars and Nina both scored 9s, while the tributes from District 11 and District 12 all scored between 8 and 10. The career pack scored 10s and 11s except for Lux, who also took home a 12. Beautiful and dangerous, Lux earned the nickname "The Silent Killer" before the games even started. She found the title to be rather amusing, and when asked about it during her interview, she gestured that she would make sure to live up to her title.

The tributes found themselves in a meadow as they rose from their podiums and awaited the 60-second countdown. As they analyzed the cornucopia, they could all see plenty of weapons, but there didn't seem to be much else this time around. This was definitely going to be an exploration arena, and after four years of dynamic arenas, the tributes expected that this one would change in some way or another after a couple days.  
Of course, for them to actually learn if any of their theories were true or false, they had to get past the bloodbath, and so when the gong sounded, they all raced in to get some of the action. Lux opened the show by grabbing a large axe and throwing it so swiftly that it actually cut the boy from District 10 cleanly in half, thus kicking off the real bloodbath.

The tributes from District 11 and District 12 scored a couple of kills before fleeing south into the wilderness, and the alliance between Sable, Linus, and Glitch proved fruitful as well, although they headed east. Surprisingly, the twins from District 4 were killed in the opening minutes as well, both of them rushing a heavily armed Lux while unarmed themselves. She didn't even think twice before making quick work of them, not even thinking twice as to what their motives might have been for rushing the girl who was easily considered the most dangerous tribute this year. The careers picked off a few more tributes, bringing the total death count for this year's bloodbath to 10 once all was said and done. With no food or water at the cornucopia this year, the career pack did a little exploring of their own, heading northwest. Lux headed north-northeast to get a look at what kind of terrain she was dealing with.

A couple days of exploring revealed to her that Sapphire Adara was the next victim of the games, her life claimed by Sable. Lux had laid low to prevent being seen, and so the alliance went on with their business without ever realizing that Lux had been less than 10 feet away.

The arena was humid, much like a wetland. Unlike most grimy, murky swamps that tributes in wetland arenas had experienced, however, the lakes and low-lying ponds were surprisingly clean. Lux knew there had to be a reason for it, but that didn't stop her from practically bathing in one of these delightfully cool pools. She had removed her shoes and socks, but otherwise had jumped in fully dressed, even leaving on those plated gloves that were a standard part of the tributes' uniforms these days.

Incidentally, the first tribute that she crossed paths with was Anna Shrike, who despite her name, didn't swoop in and try to impale Lux the moment she saw the larger girl. Instead, she raised her arms, not wanting to start any aggressive conflict.

Anna actually made a comment that Lux genuinely appreciated. She seemed aware that Lux was very much an introvert, and, also wanting to save her own hide, she complimented Lux's admiration of solitude, and as such, Lux allowed the girl to leave peacefully, provided she didn't make the same mistake twice and come wandering through the same area again. Incidentally, a cannon fired hardly an hour after this encounter, but later on in the evening, it was not Anna's face that appeared in the sky, but that of District 8's Logan Montiel, marking his death as the only death on day 3.

While most people suspected that the three alliances would be the primary contributors to the deaths in this game, they didn't count on District 5's Tracer Lestrange. She didn't exactly have a plan, and it wasn't entirely on purpose, but she accidentally raced through the 11-12 alliance camp on day 5 while being chased by tiger mutts, causing them to run after her to flee for their own lives. Tracer caused Colton's death by tripping him up as he tried to race past her, and she managed to give the others the slip as she vanished back into the trees. The surviving three tributes gained a vantage point over the mutts and managed to kill them, although they also vowed to take down Tracer if they saw her again.

Incidentally, the careers had a similar idea. While Lux foraged off the land, the careers were fine with waiting for other survivalist tributes to make camp before raiding it, and once they saw Tracer getting to work on that later in the afternoon they knew they would want to close in on her.

Surprisingly, the career pack was rather patient, although they did not know that while they were secretly watching Tracer, Lux was secretly watching them. The tall, lithe beauty was deceptively subtle, and at the moment, was also hooded and covered in mud, which blended her in against the dark browns and blacks of the evening landscape.

She would not be doing any killing tonight, however, and nor would the careers. Instead, the next victim of the 'games would be Mariah. Early the next morning, the pair from District 2 broke off and attacked the camp, with Zack successfully taking down Mariah as the others closed in on the alliance. Tracer thought she could capitalize on this conflict, but her interference only cost her life as Lux sprang in out of nowhere and bashed her head in with her shield. Realizing they were outnumbered 4-2, Lincoln and Anna retreated into the wilderness, and the other careers decided not to give chase when they had the now abandoned camp in front of them to plunder.

The end of that alliance was drawing near though. While Lincoln stayed back at their new hiding place to nurse his wounds, Anna went off foraging for food in the swamps. Unfortunately, Esmeralda found Lincoln before Anna could return, and on day 7, the District 11 boy's life was over.

It was day 8, however, that Lux noticed what was changing in the arena. The water was gradually rising, and it seemed that toxic plants were growing and popping up more frequently than before. She didn't tell the others because she didn't want to try and find them, nor could she speak or shout to them because she had no voice.

With the 11-12 alliance decimated, however, the careers set their sights on the deadly trio from Districts 3 and 7: Sable, Linus, and Glitch. Lux found herself the target of their treachery the most, but managed to escape with only a few injuries or sometimes even unscathed. While her semi-'allies' raced in to try and take them out, they also didn't realize that they had another helper. Zack followed the careers to where they were planning on ambushing Sable, Linus, and Glitch. They triggered a few of their traps using rocks or sticks, before racing in for another kill. The trio was armed and ready for them, however, attacking Malcolm and Esmeralda. Sable was the largest threat for the moment, and so it was Zack who finally ended her life after putting an axe through her. Shortly after her death, Anna swooped in, firing an arrow with extreme accuracy to take out Glitch. She fired another arrow that knocked Zack down and limited the use of his dominant arm, and as he injured Esmeralda's leg and Malcolm's shoulder, Linus closed in on her and managed to swing his knife and cut the string of her bow. It whiplashed and struck her arm, stunning her for a second—and a second was all Linus needed to cut her throat. Now only five tributes remained.

Since they were all wounded in some way or another, Linus actually proposed an alliance. It was risky considering where he was coming from, as a lone tribute against three careers, but he pointed out an obvious and dangerous truth. Lux was the uninjured one, and she had also earned the highest score apart from him. He was willing to pool his strength with the other careers if they agreed to take her down first. Sure enough, they agreed.

Lux was done trying to be subtle. She was heavily armed and knew that the other tributes were likely banding against her, which was why Linus' face didn't appear on night 11 or 12 either. He did have a plan to take her down though, and he began working on it while the other three careers hunted her down. He made a camp and started building something as well as stockpiling food. The other careers aimed to set out and kill Lux.  
Incidentally, when they encountered her, they claimed to be helping Linus, to likely shift the blame. Lux didn't seem overly convinced, but drew her sword and shield without hesitation to counteract their attacks. Despite being outnumbered, Lux handily took down all three of them with her superior skills. It seemed that her hostile, antisocial personality made her have no qualms about brutally murdering other kids her age, and now Linus was next.

The 14th morning was when she finally came across Linus' camp. It was stocked with food just as he promised, although since the careers had never come back, there was no one but him to eat it. Lux knew that the camp was laced with traps, and so it was only careful footing and avoiding Linus' projectiles that finally allowed her to reach him. The two of them fought in melee combat, with Linus proving to be deadlier than his size or district might have suggested. Despite this, and the recent battle she had had with the other careers, Lux emerged victorious, striking Linus down and plunging her blades into his chest. She didn't even bother pulling them out after the cannon fired, for the games were over. Lux was the 14th victor from District 1, and the 95th victor of the games.

Lux was not overly traumatized from the games; just broken and quiet as she always was. She didn't like people, and the games didn't help that at all. Like many other beautiful or attractive tributes, Lux was prostituted out by the Capitol, and she grudgingly fell into line despite a bit of violence at first. She was laying low, but only for now. Lux Calameda was still a very dangerous creature, and only one individual so far was able to get through to her. Their identity, however, was a mystery for the ages…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)


	96. The 96th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _The victor of this year's game is a very prominent player as well as being the third member of the 2nd "trilogy trio" similar to how Aveline is such for Amy and Korra. A couple of tributes here are also shoutouts to one of my other fanfics, but otherwise, a name's just a name, so don't dwell on it too hard. Like the others in this decade, I plan to eventually do a full-length story of this one, but it's likely still far off._  
_Either way, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 96th Annual Hunger Games**

Similar to the first "Golden Age" of the Hunger Games, the current decade continued to shape itself up into being something very similar. Even the victors themselves seemed to be much wilder and crazier than the usual tributes that crawled out of the arena alive, and so perhaps the Gamemakers were onto something with this project of theirs. Naturally, they aimed to make the 96th Annual Hunger Games live up to the same hype that the last ones did, and keep their reputation as Panem's finest Gamemakers in history standing strong.

The wildcard this year, as with nearly every other year, was the tributes that came into the games. They could always count on District 1 and District 2 to produce volunteers. District 3 was always interesting because while there were minimal vibes of loyalty to the Capitol from them, they still often produces volunteers. District 4 was similar, although volunteered slightly less often. This year they didn't have any volunteers, although District 3 joined the ranks of the career tributes that did. Roku Shenhua and Zenzi Montoya were curious cases. Both were curt and appeared rather shy, but were volunteers nonetheless.

Their audacity ended up attracting the interest of District 1's Reuben and Nikita, and in turn, Harrison and Beverly from District 2 also had their eyes on them.

In the training center, however, they stuck to themselves, proving to be proficient with traps and electronics like most children from their district were, but also showing themselves to be incredibly deft swordmasters. There was undoubtedly a mystery behind these two characters, and why they volunteered for the games, but they wouldn't speak of it to anyone.

Incidentally, a tribute managed to get it out of them. Serena Kavanagh from District 6 somehow convinced her partner Shishio Meraxa to go up and ask them. A very mellow boy by nature, as well as the spitting image of his grandfather, victor Dezna Meraxa from the 45th games, Shishio had very little shame or concern for what he did, and so he approached the District 3 pair without fear.

Surprisingly, they explained that it was more or less just a thrill trip. Shishio wasn't entirely sure if the story was true or not, but he didn't pry any further. Roku and Zenzi didn't exactly look like thrill-seekers, but maybe it was none of Shishio's business.

Serena and Shishio managed to score moderately in their private sessions, with the boy scoring an 8 and the girl taking a 7. They were outdone by Milan and Iona from District 11, who took a 9 and a 10 respectively. Even little Kinalune Kovach from District 12 managed to score a 9, but it was the career tributes that everyone wanted to watch out for. They all took 10s and 11s, which were formidable scores in their own right, but seeing Roku and Zenzi both score 12s made the other tributes uneasy, although some were also slightly relieved to know that they had not joined the career pack. Of course, none of this would matter until they reached the arena.

No one was really sure what to make of this year's layout. They were in a small clearing surrounding the golden cornucopia in a semicircle as they had been for the last 95 years, although they were surrounded by patchy mountains that looked to be fairly hollow. The hostile terrain around them didn't hint at anything useful being above the mountains, and so perhaps they were hollowed out. As the countdown began, the pair from District 6 scanned the area for knives. Weapons seemed abundant as they almost always were, although there didn't appear to be much else this time. They and a few of the others looked worried, however, because they knew that if the District 3 pair got their hands on any type of swords, that it would in fact be a bloodbath. Sure enough, after the gong rang, it only took about 14 seconds for Zenzi to grab a sword, toss it to Roku, and seize another one for herself. Roku took out the boy from District 4 in a single swing, and the carnage had begun.  
By the time the dust had settled, nine tributes had lost their lives, mostly down district lines. District 12's boy didn't make it out of there, and neither did any of the tributes from Districts 4, 7, 9, or 10. The career pack retreated surprisingly early, and disappeared into one of the mountains. Roku and Zenzi were the last ones to leave the cornucopia, and no one wanted to stick around and find themselves at the end of their blades.

Like most of the other surviving tributes, Serena and Shishio wanted to explore the arena and find out what was in these mountains or caves. The exterior of these hollowed-out mountains just seemed to be bland, colorless rock that emulated the harsh surface terrain, and so that meant it was time to step into one of the many holes in the mountain and see what they held in the depths.

There was not much to see for a while; just trekking through the mazelike tunnels, some of which led them in circles. There were gaping holes in the mountain and sometimes large chambers, and so patches of the sky above them were visible. Glowing veins of some unnatural substance lined the walls and lit the place up to a degree, and so tributes were not just groping in the dark here.

Both of them were rather surprised, however, when they came across a massive hollow chamber, where a shimmering old temple rose from the ground. Here they found a great deal of resources, as well as plenty of mechanical supplies, some of which were still in working condition. They kind of decided to make this their base of operations for a while, figuring that they would be away from the danger and violence of the other tributes, and most importantly, away from Roku and Zenzi.

This proved to be a fairly viable strategy. While the "temple" wasn't exactly clear of mutts or monsters, these were mostly small creatures that were easily dispatched by the knife-wielding mechanics from District 6, who spent the rest of the evening scavenging for materials. Two more cannons rang out on day 2, but Shishio and Serena remained hidden as they uncovered old machinery that they could attempt to salvage into something working. If they could get a mechanical weapon going, that would be quite the memorable feat.

The other tributes found a few old buildings, and some even had machines in them, but none were as grand as the temple that the District 6 pair had encountered. Similarly, they were not as lucky. The pair from District 5 got their camp raided by the careers on day 4, and the two tributes split up. The boy ended up escaping the careers, but died before his partner at the hands of Kinalune, who disappeared as swiftly as she had shown up, not even checking the body for any supplies. The girl lasted a few moments longer, but eventually Reuben caught up to her and with a swing of his axe he took her down.

Day 7 rolled on in and the remaining tributes were wary. None of them knew where Roku and Zenzi were or what they had been doing this whole time. While their behavior and inclination towards combat was enough to throw some tributes off, others remembered that being from District 3, they also still likely possessed proficient mechanical and electrical skills, and so any time a tribute forged new frontiers, they did so with caution, not sure where the menacing District 3 pair were.

It turned out that they were on the prowl—and their targets today were the careers. Roku took the offensive while Zenzi jumped in and came after them in hot pursuit. Nikita was her first victim, the lacerations caused by Zenzi's blades being too much for her to recover from. The other three, who were caught off guard didn't have a chance to grab their main weapons, and with Roku and Zenzi on the offensive, they didn't really have time to go and recover them. The pair from District 2 fled, while Reuben pulled out his axe in an attempt to stop Zenzi in her tracks. This endeavor failed, and he was her next victim. By the time she got back to the careers' old camp, Roku had helped pick it clean, and the two tributes high-fived and moved on.

The weakened state of the career pack ended up costing Beverly her life the following day. She retreated to a different part of the tunnel complex, finding a watery area with blue veins of light, and with water pure enough to drink straight from the source. She decided to bathe to distress, removing her shoes but otherwise hopping in fully dressed. Iona caught her off guard and killed her; and Harrison, who had been separated from her after the attack by District 3, didn't even learn of it until that evening. Iona met back up with Milan, and they went to go find the pair from District 6.

Along the way they ran into Kinalune, and the three decided that they should form an alliance, which would in turn make them a stronger force than even the District 3 alliance. The career pack was in shambles, and none of them assumed Harrison would be much of a threat on his own.

It took a while of searching, but the watery caves were not far from the temple that Shishio and Serena had found, but when the trio from District 11 and District 12 found them, they were in for a surprise, which also explained what the two had been doing for the last week or so.

The pair had constructed (or perhaps refurbished) a small working tank. It didn't exactly provide much protection (it being only about the size of a small go-kart at most) but the cannon at the front worked, with Serena "demonstrating" it on Milan. He did not get up from the blast. She kept the focus on her as she aimed the cannon at the others, who tried to get out of her line of fire, but that's where Shishio came in. While Serena manned the tank, Shishio knifed Kinalune, and immediately Iona realized the scope of her mistake. She fled back into the darkness, while the District 6 pair high-fived each other for a performance well done.

The next couple of days were troublesome for them, since the attacks of small mutts grew more frequent, and they took it as a sign for them to vacate the temple and go on the prowl. Incidentally, they managed to move their small tank through the caves and parked it near the watering holes that Beverly had died in a few days earlier. They wondered who would come for them next.

Harrison was their next victim. This time Shishio was the distraction as Serena kicked the tank into motion. She fired a few rounds at the boy, and while Shishio took a strike to his arm, Harrison got a makeshift tank round to his face, which killed him. That only left Kinalune and District 3, which meant that the little District 6 pair had their work cut out for them.

Kinalune's cannon went off on Day 13, which meant Roku and Zenzi had found her. It also meant that now they'd be coming for Serena and Shishio, and so the two of them started fortifying their camp and placing their tank at a strategic vantage point with the hopes of catching the menaces off-guard.

It was late that same evening when Roku and Zenzi finally set upon the District 6 alliance. Shishio attempted his distraction technique while Serena fired shots at them, but while Shishio was surprisingly swifter than the lightning-fast swordmasters from District 3, they knew that the boy would have trouble landing hits on them, and so turned their attention to Serena, using a pincer attack to take her down followed by a finishing blow from Zenzi. Contrary to their belief, Shishio got a few good wounds on them that caused them to fall back. They were of little use without their sword arms, and Shishio was too protective of the mortally wounded Serena (as well as their tank) to pursue them just yet. The next morning, however, there would be vengeance. He laid his partner to rest, taking one last look at the face in the sky before going to sleep. He was going to be up bright and early the next morning.

His timing was either lucky or a fluke. Hardly a few minutes after he had armed and activated the tank, the District 3 pair returned, their arms bound up to curb the wounds Shishio had given them, but their blades at the ready. Shishio was not too maneuverable with the tank, but he fired off makeshift rounds at a rapid pace, no longer caring about how many he wasted, the way he and Serena had originally. He knew that this was the final showdown and wasn't about to let shots go unused. Eventually he landed hit on Zenzi, and shot her again just to make sure she died. The next shot that rang out was from the Gamemakers' cannons instead of his tank. Zenzi was dead. Roku, however, used this moment to attack the tank, nearly gouging Shishio's face out with his swings. He sprung up, abandoning the vehicle, and drew out his daggers. The tables turned on him in a surprise twist, as Roku manned the tank and figured out in a matter of seconds how to operate it. He looked genuinely impressed, but not to the point where he stopped to marvel at it. Shishio knew he could outspeed his own machine though, and so he zigzagged towards Roku with his knives drawn, and a split-second later one of them was lodged in his throat. The boy choked and spattered on his own blood for a moment before dying in the makeshift cockpit of the vehicle the pair from District 6 had built. The games had ended. Shishio became the 7th victor from District 6, and the 96th victor of the Hunger Games.

He followed in his grandfather's footsteps in regards to what he did afterwards. He became a proficient dealer in the District 6 drug trade, although also maintained the Meraxa legacy, being remembered for building (with some help from his partner of course) a fully-functional vehicle in a Hunger Games. His grandfather's fully-functional automatic crossbow during his games had been impressive, but Shishio's tank was even more so. The boy was a natural, and also turned out to be a talented pilot a few years later. He planned to use that skill someday—and someday, it would be put to very good use…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)


	97. The 97th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This story was actually loosely inspired by a sort of "choose-your-own-adventure" style roleplay I had with my siblings once. Their decisions determined their successes or failures, and I went from there. Whatever the case, the names are random and aren't really anything to give much thought to, so there's that._  
_Either way, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 97th Annual Hunger Games**

The farther into the 10th decade the games got, the more people started to accept the ongoing trend, and more importantly, people began referring to it as "The 2nd Golden Age" of the Hunger Games. The original 'Golden Age' had begun literally 50 years ago and spanned about a decade, and here was the current decade aiming to do the same thing. There were still a few years left to fully judge, but even by the 97th Annual Hunger Games, it was clear that this trend was going to be followed this year, and likely the next few years to come.

While originally, seeing a tribute score perfectly was a feat to be remembered, it was less memorable these days, but not for the reasons that some people thought. While it was clear that 11s and 12s were handed out much more frequently, extensive research into the Capitol's scoring system for the tributes actually revealed that the standards had increased over time rather than decreased. Tricks and talents that might have earned a tribute a perfect 12 half a century ago might have earned an 8 or a 9 today, and so these 12s and 11s (or even the 10s and 9s) were much more notorious, especially with the amount of time and quality of equipment today's tributes had.

District 1 produced strong volunteers under the names Fabian Herondale and Tiffany Chung, while out of District 2 came Oboro Valletta and Niles Davenport. All four of them appeared to be the usual career tributes that jumped up and volunteered for these games, although there was a glint in the eyes of the District 2 pair in particular that spelled out a drive to win—more than usual, anyways.

Competition came primarily from District 5 and District 11 this year, although not necessarily as alliances. Zack Peregrin and Eve Hallowell hailed from District 5, and while young, both showed great potential over the next few days in the training center. In District 11, Amelia Lauff and Eli Christiansen reached the stage, and visually, they were almost comical contrasts to one another. Amelia was a rather lanky girl who looked built for speed, while her partner Eli was a mountain of a man whose intimidating physique was offset by his surprisingly gentle personality. Where he was going though, there was no time to be gentle, and so time would tell if he had what it took to survive the games. Cable Evanston, the boy from District 6, also took interest in this partnership and offered his talents with the others to help them take down the formidable careers.

Ultimately, an informal alliance ended up forming between District 5 and District 11, surprising many people, but unlike the career pack which would likely almost always travel together, the four tributes intended to split up depending on various circumstances.

The careers hardly surprised anyone with their 11s or 12s anymore, as impressive as they were. However, 13-year-old Sophie Tong from District 12 proved to be quite the surprise. No one had really taken her seriously during the training, because it was rare for one of District 12's "Painted Tributes" to be so young, but when she scored a 12 in training, perhaps she was a force to be reckoned with.

Eli went and scored an 11 after a rather impressive display of survival skills and heavy weaponry, while his partner Amelia scored a 9 for her archery skills. Cable proved to be effective with knives, and also with gadgets and traps, earning him a 9 as well. Zack and Eve both scored 8s, which put this secondary group at slight odds against the careers, but the arena would be the true determining factor in how well or not the tributes actually did.

The arena had a District 7 feel to it, with pinewood forests as far as the eye could see once the tributes stepped away from the cornucopia clearing. Above them were grey skies, which some of the more observant tributes figured would either work for them or against them depending on what kind of weather came into play this year. During the 60-second countdown, tributes observed the amount of weapons, supplies, and other items that were spilling out of the cornucopia this year. There were a particularly large number of crates, and both Eli and Sophie in particular were eyeballing them with interest as the other tributes glanced around for weapons.

When the gong sounded, the mayhem began as it always had year after year. The 97th time it happened, several people barely lasted two minutes. Most of these deaths were at the hands of the careers, although Amelia got a rather impressive kill with a swiftly-fired arrow. Sophie disappeared in the fray and no one—not even the Gamemakers—saw her run off into the wilderness. Eli was targeted by several tributes for his large size, but he kept them at bay with a sword and mace, and at one point seized a particularly heavy crate and threw it so hard at another tribute that the would-be attacker didn't get back up. All in all, 9 tributes didn't survive. Milo, the boy from District 12, nearly made it out, but a well-aimed spear from Oboro took him down as he tried to run into the wilderness.

To the surprise of the careers and the Gamemakers alike, however, it almost looked like the alliance between Districts 5 and 11 (and Cable from 6) would take control of the cornucopia, but after they picked out the best supplies and ransacked a good deal of the remainder, they all scattered into the wilderness to let the games really begin. They were back in their natural territory, although the careers did manage to recover most of the remaining supplies, gathering them around the mouth of the horn.

Eli, Cable, Amelia, Zack, and Eve all made different camps around the arena, many of them rigging them up with traps, even. Nightlock berries were a common sight, although most of the tributes knew how to identify them and so were not worried about accidentally eating them. A few of them, including Zack and Eli, applied some of the juice to their weapons to give them added toxicity. Eli also used a pocketknife to carve pieces of wood into punji sticks, which he laid all around his camp. He worked late into the night, surrounding his entire camp except a narrow area where he would place a small but sturdy long that he'd use to get in and out of said camp. For a boy as large as he was, he had remarkably good balance, and so he was able to cross his log bridge with ease (and then move it so that other tributes wouldn't hide it. He didn't think any of the others had the same strength he did—and while he had no way of proving this, he was actually correct). As he returning from an early-morning forage for more food in the small hours of day 2, a cannon fired. He didn't learn of the death until a few minutes later when he saw hovercrafts picking up a body from his punji stick traps. Not necessarily proud of his feat, Eli was still relieved that he was one step closer to coming home.

While Cable had joined the informal alliance against the careers, his partner Kayla was not so lucky, and she found herself racing through the forest to avoid the arrows and spears of Niles and Oboro, who pursued her with great vigor. They chased her through the woods till she reached a lake, and with nowhere to run, she fell victim to Niles' arrow. While they were out, Zack and Eve were hiding among the trees, waiting for a chance to strike. Broad daylight was not the place to do so, and so they patiently waited. Fabian and Tiffany were still at the camp, however, and so movement would be difficult without being spotted.

Later that evening, Niles and Oboro were still off hunting, but a chain of events went down that caused a few heads to turn. One of the crates tipped over by itself, and little Sophie spilled out before hightailing it. As the pair from District 1 jumped up to give chase, Fabian received a hatchet to the back of the head as the boy from District 7 ambushed them. In the confusion, both Sophie and the District 7 boy managed to escape unharmed.

Amelia met back up with Eli as they made camp for the next couple of days. Eli went back to work on his punji stick traps, using the abundant nightlock juice to not only poison the sticks but also the tips of his arrows and spear, while Amelia went hunting. She was not the only one who was hunting, however, for Eve met her demise during the next afternoon at the hands of Niles, who along with his partner, were also still on the prowl.

The next couple of days were nearly silent apart from some fairly easily-dispatched Night Witches that emerged from the lake, and the two District 11 tributes began to construct a fortress around their camp. The catch was that they ran into the boy from the lumber district again, who attempted sabotage. Amelia out a swift end to him with a well-placed arrow, and a cannon fired. They learned later that evening that the boy's name was Steven Kumani.

His partner, a large dark-skinned, dreadlocked girl named Elsa Calhoun, however, was not through with trickery of her own. It started after the Capitol announced a feast at the cornucopia on Day 7, and while plenty of tributes showed up, about half of them didn't. Cable and Zack were both present, and they grabbed a few supplies and made their way out. Also present for some strange reason were bottles of whiskey, which Elsa partook of with vigor. She basically went on a drunken rampage using her battleaxe to take down Cable. For whatever reason, Zack though he could repel her, but his attempts didn't work either, and so he was cut down shortly after. The three remaining careers found some of the whiskey later on after the kids from '5, '6, and '7 had cleared out, and decided to put it to some use along with some of the other crates and supplies as they reclaimed the cornucopia. They lamented Fabian's loss from a few days earlier, but swore to not let his death be in vain.

Eli and Amelia were saddened to see the faces of their former friends in the sky that night, but they also agreed on an offensive maneuver, particularly against whatever tributes had done the deeds. Incidentally, because of the whiskey, the pair from '11 were able to pretty much waltz right up to the careers and attack. Tiffany did not survive the attack, although Niles and Oboro staggered away with minimal injuries. For their lack of coordination (definitely caused by the whiskey) they were surprisingly fast, although there seemed to be something addictive in the stuff. Whether that was a Capitol ploy or just circumstance on the Gamemaker's part was unclear.

Elsa, however, came rampaging back towards Eli and Amelia, and while Amelia shot her with a few arrows, she didn't seem to take the hint, and so she went head-to-head with Eli instead. She was similarly large and girthy like he was, and so it became a battle of physical combat. Both of them managed to disarm one another, although after a short scuffle, Elsa suddenly just dropped dead. Eli paused, looking at his hands, before Amelia reminded him of the Nightlock. Apparently the booze had slowed the poison's effects, but once it had worn off, the poison was as instantaneous as its reputation claimed it was, and thus had claimed Elsa's life.

The District 11 pair rested easy for the next couple of nights, although Eli was hit with sad news late on the night of Day 11 when he heard a cannon that wound up belonging to Amelia, who fell victim to Oboro's spear while she was hunting. The rest of the evening was quiet now that Eli was alone, and he realized now that there were only 5 tributes left.

While there was no sign of Sophie, an elusive District 8 girl approached Eli the next day, introducing herself as Mallory DeVara, and proposed an alliance. They didn't really know each other which would make turning on one another a lot easier if it came to that. Together, they decided to take an offensive against Niles and Oboro to take one or both of them down. Arming themselves with shields and weapons, they made their way to the career camp to make their move.

Day 12 marked the afternoon when Niles finally died, after Mallory got the best of him in combat. Her shield blocked his arrows, and she followed this up by basically bashing his face hard enough to knock him down before finishing him. Oboro threw a javelin through Mallory's shield and broke it, but she and Eli managed to escape.

On Day 13, the skies darkened and rain began to gently fall over the forest. Eli and Mallory thought they were safe considering how much they had moved around, but despite the amount of time that had passed, Oboro was still following them, and only moved in for the kill after Eli was out setting up his elaborate punji stick traps again. He normally would have raced to Mallory's aid when he heard her yells, but his poisoned sticks would not cut him any slack if he misstepped, and so he had to make precise movements to get out of his own trap. Mallory was able to hold her own against Oboro fairly well, but the career girl was too strong and too fast, and bested her right as Eli entered the scene. Oboro took it as a challenge and so charged Eli, using her speed to her advantage. Eli played defensively, trying to lead Oboro to the traps he had just finished making. Sure enough, all it took was one misstep and Oboro was impaled by the sticks, falling and getting stabbed further. That just left Sophie.

Eli found the small elusive girl hiding at the cornucopia, and by this time, the rain was more of a storm, with lightning and everything.

Eli used parts of the crates as shields and as weapons, taking an offensive against the dangerous little painted knife-wielder as she retreated into the cornucopia. Eli didn't fall for that trick however, and charged with his wooden shields out. This pushed Sophie against the wall, right as a bolt of lightning struck the cornucopia. The conductive metal horn electrocuted Sophie and basically fried her, ending the games in Eli's favor. The large dreadlocked boy had just become the 9th victor from District 11, and the 97th victor of the Hunger Games.

He returned home rather shaken, but recovered over time, and remained a gentle giant true to his reputation. He was never fond of violence beforehand, but after competing in and surviving the games, he was even more anti-violence than before. This coupled with his kind and gentle attitude made him a rather popular icon in the districts, particularly his home district. The Capitol had pushed him, but had not broken him, and Eli stood proudly, and managed to stay himself. Few victors could say the same…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)


	98. The 98th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we're at the 2nd-to-last chapter of our standard Hunger Games. After that, it takes a little spin before the ending, although those who have read my other fics probably already knew that. Like all of the chapters from 91-99, there is or will be (in thise case will be) a full-length story of this game in the distant future, but don't hold your breath. We're on the final stretch, and here we go._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 98th Annual Hunger Games**

A great deal of Panem's Capitol audience was getting excited. Each passing year drew closer to the next Quarter Quell, and with the recent decade of games being as thrilling as they were, it was clear that there was going to be a game that would blow them all away.  
Even then, since it had not happened yet, there was no way it could actually eclipse the 98th Annual Hunger Games, which were in full swing and expected to be just as promising as the ones before it. The Gamemakers had been hard at work designing another exciting arena, and they banked on there being a slew of exciting tributes to occupy it this year. Fortunately for them, they would not be disappointed. District 1 and District 2 produced their usual volunteers considering that they had facilities that trained boys and girls for this express purpose. Terius and Lethe were these for District 1, while Remus Verdell and Hinoka Morrow stepped up over in District 2. Also joining the ranks of volunteer tributes this year were Cordelia Mason and Shigeru Lombardi from District 3. The volunteers from this district were always an interesting case. In almost every situation, it was either both tributes or neither tribute volunteering, and unlike the careers over in Districts 1 and 2 they did not have training facilities and did not volunteer out of loyalty to the Capitol, being rather rebellious districts. The machinations of District 3's mind were an enigma. That much was certain.

But of course, like nearly every year, the career pack was faced with opposition, and the same would ring true this year even if District 3 did end up joining their comrades from '1 and '2. Nolan Carter and Shelia DuFronz emerged from District 4 to throw a bit of variety into the mix, while District 11 brought forth Hector and Mavis. District 12's tributes weren't "Painted" this year, but Rusty and JoAnn were not about to be too easily forgotten.

Alliances formed in the training center, but they were not too surprising. On one hand, District 1, District 2, and District 3 lined up for one of the more common "extended career alliances", while District 12 and District 11 stuck together again to serve as primary competition. The tributes from Districts 4, 5, and 8 did not ally with anyone, although a few of them had their eyes on a striking girl from District 6. Asami Kobayashi was a mechanic worthy of the Meraxas, and she spent most of the time during training building weapons and other mechanisms that were rather impressive. As a result it was not overly surprising to anyone when this woman scored a 12 in training. The only other tribute to do that this year was District 2's Hinoka, although her partner Remus, as well as JoAnn, both scored 11s. The pair from District 1 scored 9s, Cordelia took a 10, and Shigeru's score was the lowest of the careers that year, at 8. It was not shabby by any means, however, and so there were no backdoor conspiracies to get him removed the way there had been with a certain Ikki Ortolani some 21 years ago. The other tributes from the outlying alliance scored between 7 and 10, as did the pair from District 4. These would be the primary competitors this year, and it got to the point where a lot of the Capitolites started betting on who was going to die in the bloodbath.

As the tributes glanced around during the 60-second countdown before the games officially began, they noticed something about the cornucopia and the resources it offered this year. It didn't look like there was much to offer this year, with only scattered shards of metal that could be used like blades appearing apart from a few regular weapons here or there. This was a crafting arena, the tributes were pretty sure.

9 tributes died in this year's bloodbath, and surprisingly, none of them were killed by any of the tributes from District 1 or District 2. On the other hand, Cordelia kicked off the show by assassinating the two tributes from District 10 simultaneously with a couple of well-thrown shards of metal, while her partner took one of the other tributes down. These actions proved their worth in the eyes of the careers, who helped chase the remaining tributes away. Asami had disappeared and gone the opposite way the moment the gong had sounded, and the 11-12 alliance managed to give the career pack the slip before any of them could be wounded, let alone killed. Also at large were Peter and Susan, the boy and girl from District 7, who had done some damage in the bloodbath, but then also run off towards the west.

For the rest of the tributes, considering that the cornucopia supplies were negligible apart from a few backpacks the careers had claimed, it was time to explore the rest of the arena.

It was a field day in a very literal sense of the term. Fields of all kinds lay in every direction, with orchards, grasses, and other types of foliage in all sorts of directions. Some of the areas were short enough to see across, while others were tall and even a bit treacherous, which would make wandering and navigation difficult if they couldn't keep their bearings.

The career pack began exploring the arena to see what they could find that was of any worth. Surely in some of these fields there would be food and water, and so they spent the rest of the first day scouting around for the best spot that would conceal their camp, and that would also offer them something to eat and drink, since there was none of that at the cornucopia.

As with most first days of the Hunger Games, there was not much else that happened apart from tributes making camps or hunkering down. The careers made their camp in a surprisingly rocky area, although despite the rocks, the plants still seemed to grow here just fine. This arena was a reminder to the careers from District 1 and District 2 that their friends from District 3 would be invaluable. Cordelia and Shigeru knew most of the plants while the other careers had ignored most of that as they usually did. Fortunately for them, this District 3 pair weren't about to go turncoat on the alliance that quickly.

Nolan was killed around the early afternoon the next morning, and his partner Shelia died later in the evening as Hinoka was out scouting more of the arena. The careers had found a nice brook for water, and most of the plants around their area were fruit-bearing. There were even a few fruit trees as well.

An oddity about this arena was that a lot of it appeared surprisingly desolate apart from the plants. Most of the tributes suspected that there would be some sort of mutts or monsters lurking in the tall grass, and yet other than breezes rustling the leaves or stalks, there was not really any sign of non-plant life apart from the 13 tributes that remained.

Incidentally, Rusty and JoAnn had learned many of the wind patterns and breezes, and so knew how to use them to their advantage as they snuck around. On Night 3, they pulled a rather bold maneuver against the career pack as the latter were slowing down for the evening. While Rusty was successfully able to shoot Terius and kill him, he did not count on Hinoka being so aggressive. It wasn't even her district partner, but the girl had raced after the District 12 pair with vengeance on her mind. Her partner Remus kept watch for the rest of that evening, although no cannons went off. The pair from '12 split up as Hinoka gained on them, and JoAnn saw a reprieve as the career girl went after Rusty.

Day 4 kicked off without any cannons or without any sign of Hinoka. Day 5 was similar, although by this point, the pair from District 3 were back on the move. It was later in the evening that a rather interesting pair of reunions took place. Cordelia and Shigeru ran into Hinoka, who was still hot on Rusty's trail. However, that boy had managed to run into Hector and Mavis from District 11, and after they met up, it became clear that there was going to be a fight.

This was only verified as Hinoka and the District 3 pair came into view. The six tributes squared off in a three-on-three that was rather decisive for the careers. Within minutes of the fight starting, Hinoka had offed Rusty, and while Cordelia provided a distraction, she also managed to take down Hector. Mavis was now severely outnumbered and outmuscled, and she met her grizzly end (which was actually not terribly grizzly; just an impalement) at the pointy end of Shigeru's blade.

Lethe and Remus managed to keep the career camp going, and they made a few more discoveries of their own. Asami was building something, for she managed to snatch up supplies from around the arena. Remus had seen her, but decided not to race out and attack her from his position, since she seemed armed and he could not tell what the contraption was. Asami either did not notice them, or had decided not to react to their presence, for she went on her way without event.

Days 6, 7, and 8 were fairly eventless by comparison, although Cordelia pointed out that the edible plants were becoming scarcer and that the poisonous ones were becoming more common. She had to prevent Remus from accidentally eating one at least once, but the boy quickly learned. Shigeru got to work trying to figure out how to use these as traps against the other tributes, not really worried too much about the alliance just yet. The only other tributes not part of the career pack that were still alive were Peter, Susan, JoAnn, and Asami. Of those, Asami seemed the most threatening after Remus gave his report, and so the pack remained wary.

Asami was not done with her trickery though. She returned to the careers' camp on day 9, waiting for Hinoka, Shigeru, and Cordelia to go back on one of their scouting trips. She knew Remus was cautious of her, but what she did not know was that it was a setup.

Lethe still wound up being a victim of her treachery, where the contraption strapped around her body wound up being a powerful projectile launcher of sorts. It struck Lethe before she could react, and the boy next to her sprung up for vengeance.

The twist was that it was not Remus. He had gone with Cordelia and Hinoka, leaving Shigeru behind instead. Shigeru was much faster than his District 2 ally, and so he raced right in and cut Asami down before she could do much else. Her contraption, while impressive, was not something he would want to try and salvage off of her or figure out how to work, and so he'd let it get taken with her.

Remus was pleased when he learned of Asami's death, and he and Shigeru took a walk later on Day 10 as they discussed it, Hinoka and Cordelia were watching the camp, and so this time it was the boys' turn to have a bit of fun.

JoAnn had survived thus far, but she was being pursued by Peter and Susan. However, Peter and Susan were being hunted by Remus and Shigeru, which led to an interesting turn of events.

Day 11 saw Peter's death, and Susan blamed it on JoAnn's treachery. As a result, Day 12 saw Joann die at Susan's hand, despite the girl claiming that it was Remus who had killed Peter instead of her. This was actually true, but it hardly mattered at this point. Two tributes were dead, and Susan was next.

She met her demise on Day 13 at Shigeru's hand. With her out of the way, that just left the four tributes from District 2 and District 3. It was not quite the traditional career pack considering District 3 was in place of District 1, but they were volunteers and were part of the career alliance, and so it was time for them to settle once and for all who the victor would be.

Day 14 was when this all went down. Surprisingly, none of them tried to pull fast ones on anyone else that evening, not even the wily District 3 tributes. As such, the fighting was set to begin. Remus and Hinoka were stronger, and the latter was rather fast, but the agility and cunning of Shigeru and Cordelia made them able to hold their own.

The first one to fall was Cordelia after she got stabbed by Remus' blade, but Shigeru knifed him so quickly in response that his cannon actually went off before Cordelia's. Shigeru and Hinoka battled for the final spot—the Victor's Crown, and the slash of metal against metal filled the air as they both dueled rather expertly. Eventually, however, Shigeru gained the upper hand, and finished the fight with a well-placed strike to Hinoka's forehead, the blade plunging into her skull and killing her, which in turn ended the games. Shigeru was the 9th victor from District 3, and the 98th victor of the Hunger Games.

Cunning, swift, and devious, Shigeru enjoyed his victory. While technically not a career tribute himself considering his lack of formal training as one, he was still considered a career when all was said and done. He lamented the death of his allies and friends, but he knew that they would have done the same thing to him, and had actually tried to. It was not personal; it was merely business. Such was the nature of the career pack, and the very nature of the Hunger Games itself. Shigeru knew this well…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)  
98HG: Shigeru Lombardi (#9, District 3)


	99. The 99th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And now we reach the final chapter of our standard-fare Hunger Games. It's been a long and exciting century, but for those worrying that this might be the end, fear not: There might be an ending in sight, but there are a few extra chapters that remain between here and the true finale of the story. In the meantime, witness the 99th year of the Hunger Games unfold, and then strap in next week for the summarization of how the Hunger Games actually ended._  
_In the meantime, Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 99th Annual Hunger Games**

Excitement for the upcoming Quarter Quell was growing throughout most of the Capitol, while of course the Districts were not too happy with the looming announcement of some rule change or another. Fortunately for the sake of putting off the inevitable on their parts, the districts wouldn't have to worry about that for another year. For the moment, they were instead given the 99th Annual Hunger Games, which were memorable in their own right due to the controversies that sprouted from them.

This was not the first time a reaping was rigged. It was rare for it to happen, but usually the affected tribute would also know that his or her name did not just magically pop out of that bowl or lottery by chance. Most of the time this only happened in the rebellious districts like '8 or '12, and this year was no exception. District 8's Diego Hatch was just another standard boy who was unlucky and got his name picked, but the girl, Lyndis DeSiete, was the subject of hushed whispers. Her family had always been at odds with the Capitol, from her grandfather Alice 53 years ago to her own mother 26 years prior to the present day. Alice and Paige DeSiete were notorious because of their heritage. Now and again the children of victors would get reaped or volunteer, but so far Paige was only one of three victors who had a parent in the games (the other two were siblings Cashmere and Gloss Zianja, son and daughter of victor Aurum Zianja). Shishio, a District 6 boy from three years earlier, was the grandson of a victor, but that was not quite the same.

Lyndis, however, would make history if she could escape the arena, which she knew that the Capitol would be engineering against her. She was Paige's daughter, which in turn meant she would be a 3rd generation victor if she won. Eyes were on her in the rebellious districts, such as District 11 and District 12, but not enough to form an alliance with her. They didn't want to end up mysteriously killed in an arena "accident" or something. Despite this, District 12's Aston Emerson and Serana Lonas both agreed to stay out of Lyndis' way, and their comrades from District 11, Mario and Colette, had a similar agreement and mindset. Still, both parties knew that there would come a time for that truce to end, in which case the odds would stack against Lyndis even more so than before.

The careers almost seemed to be stacking against her as well. Darius Howell and Julia Lancaster some of the fastest, strongest tributes that District 2 had to offer; and their soon-to-be allies Victoria Dawn and Vladimir Jory from District 1 were just as fierce-looking, if not more so. Their sinister beauty practically emanated danger, and everyone, from the Capitol to the districts, knew they would score high.

Another surprise that year was that a pair of tributes named Drazen and Leto volunteered from District 5. It made the citizens of District 8 wonder if a couple of families had set it up that way. It was unlikely, but not impossible considering District 5's loyalty to the Capitol.

Despite the dangers it entailed, Diego agreed to stick with Lyndis, knowing that regardless of how the Capitol tweaked her score, that she would be a formidable fighter in the arena. If he was wrong… well, he had made worse mistakes than that. The Hunger Games were basically a death sentence anyways.

Diego did outscore Lyndis in the training center though, taking a 9 for himself, while Lyndis took a 5. However, she figured that just like her mother and grandfather, her score had been rigged, since she had overheard some of the others, including the careers, call her a threat behind her back. That might not have meant anything normally, but considering that Darius and Julia scored a 10 and an 11, and that Victoria and Vladimir scored 11 and 12 respectively, it was clear that they were no pushovers. The notion of District 8 being a threat was a fairly recent change in the Hunger Games mindset. The district grew more and more rebellious with each passing year, and so while they lacked training facilities like the career tributes, it was not unheard of for parents to train their children for combat should they get picked to go into the arena.

Drazen, Serana, and Leto were the only other major threats, respectively taking a 10, an 11, and a 12 in training once all was said and done. Most other tributes scored between 6 and 9, which wasn't bad by any means; it was just often dwarfed by the slew of higher scores that were the norm these days. Of course, as in any Hunger Games, the scores only mattered so much compared to the actual performances in the arena. They were mostly just to keep the betting circles happy, and Lyndis' low score was originally designed to paint a target on her back early on—for the Capitol wanted her dead.

Almost as if they designed it with the much-anticipated Quarter Quell in mind for the following year, the 99th arena was a spectacular sight. Splendid and picturesque mountain vistas and valleys surrounded them on every side; with beautiful, lush meadows and pristine lakes out in the distance. However, some people realized that this arena was not likely what it appeared to be, similar to the Quarter Quell 50 years ago where everything was beautiful but deadly. Caution was a must.

It did not stop tributes from Districts 5, 8, 11, and 12 from going wild in the bloodbath, however. Lyndis served as a reminder that the Capitol rigged her score when she killed the first tribute of the games, and as she managed to get three career tributes to change their minds about attacking her in the frenzy. She and Diego took off towards the northwest after snagging some of the heaviest backpacks, while the careers and the outliers finished sweeping up around the cornucopia. Like several other years, especially recently, there were weapons and supplies, but perhaps part of this year's gimmick was figuring out what in the arena was safe to eat and what was not, for there was no food or water to be found this year at the golden horn.

All in all, this year's bloodbath claimed the lives of 10 tributes, including a girl from District 4, District 12's Ashton, and all of the tributes from Districts 6, 7, 9, and 10. The career pack, this year consisting of Districts 1, 2, and 5, set out towards the east, and as usual, the rest of the 1st morning was mostly devoted to arena exploration so the tributes could learn the layout of the land.  
Of course, that didn't mean that no more deaths were allowed on the first day, and Ross Leonard, the District 4 boy, was about to learn this the hard way. He had seemed promising after scoring a kill in the bloodbath, but few could stand against Vladimir, let alone him, and thus his cannon went off late in the afternoon only an hour or two before the anthem was set to play.

Day 2 marked the real day of exploration. Diego and Lyndis both wondered if the arena was going to be oddly uninhabited the way it was the previous year, of if the Gamemakers had come up with all sorts of traps and monsters just for her. She wouldn't put it above them, and even Diego agreed. Regardless, Lyndis appeared strong and smart, and was more than capable of fending for herself.

Usually when the career pack brought in tributes from other districts they would have them be the primary scouters. That was how District 3 had been last year, and now how District 5 was this year. Drazen and Leto scouted around and learned that the mountains were more or less the "wall" for the arena, and that most of the beautiful plants and flowers were in fact poisonous. The exotic colors were deadly, while red plants and most of the "dull" colored ones were the safe ones to eat. The water didn't seem to be tainted at all, much to everyone's relief, but danger was no stranger here. They were making their way back to the careers' camp when they were ambushed by Diego and Lyndis. Lyndis managed to kill Drazen by surprise, and Diego injured Leto's arm and prompted her to retreat as her partner's cannon fired. For a while the District 8 pair pursued the bleeding girl, but eventually she somehow managed to get them off of her tail.

On Day 5, Leto met back up with Vladimir and the two of them became the next hunters. They crossed paths with the pair from District 3, who didn't even put up a fight in comparison to the ferocity that the two careers showed. Thus, within minutes, Leto had slain the boy and Vladimir took down the girl a couple moments later. Their next goal would be to either find District 8, find Serana, or find the District 11 pair. Neither one was sure what the rest of their alliance was up to at this point, but they hadn't apparently killed anyone (apart from Julia who had killed a girl in the bloodbath) and so they really didn't feel the need to worry too much.

Theirs was an interesting relationship very similar to the story of Lux and Cadence, two victors from District 1 and District 5 who had developed a relationship in a very unorthodox manner. Both of them knew that it wouldn't last since there could only be one victor, but they still seemed to rather enjoy each other's presence, as well as the synergy that they produced together.

It took the two of them three days, but eventually they came across the pair from District 11, and set off a wave of traps that nearly got them killed. However, both of them managed to survive, and with the help of a couple of well-aimed swings and throws, Leto managed to strike Colette down, while Vladimir impaled Mario and ended his life. District 8 managed to remain dangerously elusive, and neither of these two thought they (particularly Lyndis) were anything less than their biggest threat.

This proved to be the case after Diego and Lyndis found Victoria, Darius, and Julia, and launched an attack that in turn led to a vicious two-day battle between the five tributes. Normally people would assume that tributes from an unassuming district like '8 would get taken down by three powerful careers from '1 and '2 in a matter of seconds, but Lyndis had been training for this moment for years (for her mother had anticipated that Lyndis or her younger brother Naseru would get rigged into the games sooner or later), and Diego was likewise rebellious and had thus received similar training.

Because of the length of the battle, it was not until Day 10 where there was a 'winner' of the battle, and three career tributes lay dead at the feet of District 8 to the sound of cannons firing. Later that night, the faces of Julia, Victoria, and Darius lit up the sky as the anthem played.

Serana was the one left with an interesting dilemma. Her allies were all dead, but so were most of the careers. She knew that Leto and Vladimir were working together, and knew that the pair from District 8 weren't about to betray each other as other tributes still drew breath, which made her the odd one out.

She decided that she would rather see a rebellious district win than one of the districts that was loyal to the Capitol. Besides, the combined number of victors from districts 8 and 12 was equal to the number District 5 had alone, and less than that of District 1.

She put an extremely elaborate plan into effect that would involve luck and a whole lot of skill. During the night, instead of attacking the two of them (for if she killed one, she reasoned the other would have her dead before she could run) she instead stole a great deal of their supplies, and then flattened the meadow in two different directions. One of them seemed painfully obvious, while the other was designed to look like someone covering their tracks. The twist was that the obvious path was the one Serana ran down, while the covered-up path led right into a trap.

Sure enough, the next morning Leto and Vladimir noticed their supplies were gone (barring their weapons, which were still in their hands) they saw the obvious trail, but Leto's keen eyes noticed the one that looked covered up. She had no difficulty following it due to her tracking skills, but was so fixated on it that she didn't catch the trap she triggered, which shot her up with poisonous darts. She tried fighting the poison, but succumbed and died as a result of it. Serana grinned as she heard the cannon fire, although knew that only one cannon meant that one of them was still out there.

What she did not count on, however, was running into District 8 early the next morning. They did not try and fool her with traps the way she had with Leto; Lyndis simply got right up to her and killed her. She and Diego now went to find Vladimir, desiring to slay him before deciding who got to claim the crown.

It took them a couple of days, but on Day 14, they finally encountered Vladimir, and the fighting began. Even outnumbered two to one, Vladimir was still a prominent threat, this time wielding a greatsword. It had more range then the knives the pair from District 8 were using, which forced them to stay evasive. Vladimir played the defensive, which used less stamina than the evasive offensive maneuvers that Lyndis and Diego tried using against him. Diego was the first to realize this and so he went in for the kill. He managed to stab the District 1 boy in the arm and shoulder, but was slammed to the ground after meeting Vladimir's greatsword. The larger boy stopped just for a moment to catch his breath, but that was the only opening Lyndis needed. Against the Capitol's efforts to work against her, Lyndis lodged a knife into Vladimir's throat and ended the games. She became the 7th victor from District 8, and the 99th victor of the Hunger Games.

Change was coming, and everyone knew it. Lyndis had just made history by becoming the only 3rd-generation victor to ever win the games, just like her mother Paige before her, and Paige's father Alice before her. The Capitol was not thrilled that they got bested at their own game by another DeSiete, and the districts knew it. However, this time revolution was coming, and even without a spark, the fire would still spread—and this time it would change Panem forever.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)  
98HG: Shigeru Lombardi (#9, District 3)  
99HG: Lyndis DeSiete (#7, District 8)


	100. The 100th Annual Hunger Games?

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And here we reach the beginning of the end. This is the true final stretch, ladies and gentlemen. Here we witness the "Hunger Games" that helped bring an end to these barbaric pageants once and for all. This chapter, as well as the two that follow it, is based off of my fanfic 'The 100th Annual Hunger Games', and so there will obviously be a few spoilers for that since this story got way ahead of that one. Either way, I've rambled enough._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 100th Annual Hunger Games?**

Tensions were high in Panem with the upcoming Hunger Games on their doorstep, and naturally, not too many people were happy about it. Everyone was familiar with the Quarter Quells every 25 years where the Capitol switched up the rules of the games to allow a new twist to keep things up, but hardly anyone was surprised that after 99 years, that the Capitol wanted something big for their century celebration. The 4th Quarter Quell was going to blow the earlier ones out of the water.

Sure enough, the 100th Annual Hunger Games and the associated rule twist was easily considered by the 12 districts of Panem to be the most sadistic of them all. First it was announced that there were going to be 48 tributes, similar to the 2nd quell. 24 of them would be reaped from the pool of previous victors, a reminder not only of the 3rd quell where older tributes joined the arena, but also of the rumors that there would one day be a Hunger Games where the tributes were all past victors. The remaining 24 tributes for the 10th Hunger Games would then be hand-picked by the chosen victors, a reminder of the 1st quell.

Naturally, this did not sit well with any of the tributes, victors, or districts, and so right away they knew that their day of reckoning had come. Tributes like Alice DeSiete, Lyme Golding, Clove Kazera, Shigeru Lombardi, Haymitch Abernathy, Johanna Mason, Amy Zavala, and Korra Francisco all knew that the rebellion they had long since spoken of in hushed whispers, had to happen either now or never.

The reapings all went off without a hitch. 24 victors from the districts were chosen, but the children they chose to accompany them were very specifically chosen. These were all dangerously rebellious boys and girls that the victors knew would be able to help them with their plan to escape.

It was at this point when District 9 tributes Zelda Alto and Roy Keaton joined the Mockingjay Rebellion headed by Korra Francisco, who, alongside her old mentor Amy, was deliberately not chosen for the 'games. Her role would be elsewhere.

The mentors kept in touch with the citizens of District 12, who had surprisingly made contact with the citizens of District 13 due to the actions of the president. Laurel Fox, a District 12 victor from 75 years ago, had escaped to the supposedly destroyed district, and had risen through the ranks until she had become president of the district. With this much energy and resources at her disposal, she knew it was time to help District 13 lead Panem in another rebellion—nay, a revolution. Her first stop would be the smallest, nearest, and by far the most rebellious district in the nation—District 12.

Coordination happened. The tributes located the hovercrafts, and victors Meili Meisha and Shishio Meraxa were competent pilots from District 6. Katsuo and Kaede Raiden, the mentally shattered twin victors from District 2, were a distraction, while the girl Kaede had chosen-Zerlinda Franz, knew enough about the Peacekeepers, their weapons, and their protocols that she would be able to help initiate an attack.

There had to be more coordination than that, however. If the Capitol was still lit up, escape would be nearly impossible due to their obvious visibility and the massive Capitol security. Lucky for the revolutionaries, they had a few connections in the otherwise fairly loyal District 5.

Their target, a massive dam named Coriolanus 10 after the (now) former President Coriolanus Snow, was the one that powered the hub of the Capitol. If they could take it down or disable it, it would plunge the Capitol into darkness for hopefully the right amount of time the tributes would need to escape certain death. The victors were all extremely close with one another, even the ones from different districts. The tributes they had chosen also showed a sense of camaraderie, especially after the hushed whispers spread around that they were planning on a way out of here. It would be a very close call though—they had three weeks of training that would otherwise go on as normal, and during that time, District 5 had to find a way to disable the Coriolanus 10 dam without Snow's granddaughter, the new President Romula Snow, catching wind of it. Similarly, District 13 and the forces of District 12 had to join up to help pry the district from Capitol rule. District 12 would only be the first. From there, they would eventually reclaim the other 11 districts to free the people from the oppressive Capitol and Romula's totalitarian regime.

The deadline made everything scarier. There was a an almost certain chance that if they failed to get themselves out of the Tribute Tower before the games were scheduled to begin, that they would have to go to the arena and turn on one another, thus bringing about the collapse of the rebellion because of the loss of so many prominent figures. Fortunately for them, they didn't intend to allow that to happen.

Even then, they still went through all the motions, training in combat and other skills for three weeks. The Capitol wanted them to have ample time to muster their strength so that this would be the most memorable and intense Hunger Games of all time-including for years to come. They didn't even care about how they might try to one-up it. This year they were pulling out all the stops and they knew it-and Romula Snow approved.

Training scores were unsurprisingly high, with the unsuspecting tributes from District 10 scoring the "lowest" with scores of 6. There were a few 7s and 8s, but most of the other tributes scored between 9 and 12. Zelda and Roy, the tributes chosen by the District 9 victors, surprised everyone by scoring an 11 and a 12 respectively. The career districts: '1, '2, and even '3, all scored predictably high, with some of the victors earning similar scores to their original games, and others earning much higher scores now that the Capitol knew who they were. Ikki Ortolani, who only scored a 4 in the 77th Hunger Games, walked out with a 12. Mandy Ikezhen, famous for scoring a 12 in the 83rd Hunger Games alongside her partner, walked out with another 12 and a smirk on her face. little Aveline, who had scored a 5 in the 91st Hunger Games, also scored as 12 for similar reasons. District 11's tributes all scored 11s in what some called poetic intrigue, and then the four District 12 tributes ended the show by all scoring 12s. Ultimately, only two 6s were given out, and only three 7s. Eight tributes scored 8s as well as 9s, and there were a total of 27 scores of 10, 11, and 12: nine of each, ultimately making this batch of tributes the highest-scoring group in Hunger Games history—and for good reason.

However, to the tributes, these scores meant nothing-for they had no intention of allowing themselves to be dragged off to the arena to kill their best friends. The night before the interviews was when everything was finally beginning to set into motion. The mentors and past victors all quietly removed themselves from the Capitol, including Korra. While she and several others would have liked to stay to help, it would be too difficult to coordinate meeting up, and no one wanted to be left behind. The tributes were on their own.

It was the morning of the interviews that District 12 finally struck. While the tributes were being interviewed for what many people assumed would be the final hours of their lives, President Fox helped the locals, comprised primarily of "painted" citizens and other such rebels, take back their district. A rebellious Peacekeeper named Chive Kazera (older sister to the notorious Clove Kazera from District 2) helped the rebellion by betraying her fellow Peacekeepers, gunning down any that were loyal to the Capitol or that would subvert the revolution. There was no turning back now.

While the Capitol was currently unaware of this situation (communication lines were shut off after the rebels took over District 12), the citizenry of District 5 were making their move. They sabotaged the dam, knocking out the power mere seconds after victor Vigo Zakatau had wrapped up his interview. This disrupted Caesar's special announcement, and instead announced to the darkened Capitol of Panem that District 12 was now under District 13 control.

The 48 tributes had very little time to act. Shishio, a male victor from District 6, helped lead the tributes to the hangar, only to find it populated with Peacekeepers. It was Zerlinda who made the deadly move. She charged right in towards the guards watching the hovercrafts, only to be gunned down. She fell lifeless at the Peacekeeper's feet, playing dead. What they didn't realize was that she had actually just bent backwards and fallen in an awkward position to simulate death. After they had lowered their guards, Zerlinda wrenched one of their weapons away and started gunning down the other Peacekeepers. Once they were dispatched, she motioned for the remaining 47 tributes to join her. Shishio and Meili took the cockpit of the nearest hovercraft while the other tributes and victors all strapped in to prepare for the ride. 48 men and women, still fully decked out in exotic suits and dresses, all congregated inside the large hovercraft, which took off into the night before the Capitol could organize much in the way of pursuit. Their battle was far from over though. There were several hours of flight time between the Capitol and District 13, and while they were trying to be as stealthy as possible, Romula and the Capitol would know that they were gone and would undoubtedly send pursuit. No one outsmarted her and got away with it.

They flew through the night with little in terms of events, getting more than halfway there before they detected Capitol hovercrafts on their radar. Kara Petersen, a charismatic victor from District 7 with well-known leadership skills, helped direct the tributes, choosing a handful of them to man the weapons systems of the hovercraft while Meili and Shishio continued to stay on course. This skirmish was another element of the "100th Hunger Games" in the eyes of many of the tributes. They might have escaped the Capitol's arena, but their retreat, coupled with District 12's secession and District 13's involvement, had triggered a nationwide 'Hunger Games', with the Capitol soldiers and citizens of the districts as the 'tributes', and with the entire country from the Capitol to the reaches of District 13 becoming the 'arena'.

The tributes and victors from District 12 and District 11 were some of the finest marksmen with bows, and they were able to wield the turret guns fairly easily as well. It made a few of the other tributes glad that they didn't have to face off in the arena—the training scores, while now utterly irrelevant, were still clearly significant in reminding people, tributes or otherwise, about the power these men and women held.

While the renegade tributes managed to gun down all four of the pursuing Capitol hovercraft, they were also forced to make an emergency crash-landing, with Shishio barrel-rolling and crashing in a remote field between District 3 and District 8. They cut the power to everything but the radar jammer, and held tight—it was going to be a long night.

Early the next morning, before the sun even came up, the tributes were met with a knock on the hatch door of the craft. Armed with the weapons Zerlinda had stolen from the Peacekeepers, the tributes warily approached the door-only to find Clove Kazera and 300 women from District 2 that comprised her battalion.

She clarified immediately that she was on their side, and that her small fleet was here to rescue them and bring them back to the safe confines of District 13. They would be out of immediate danger there, but they were far from achieving peace. Even as Clove managed to help fly them safely to District 13, they knew that the Capitol was not done pursuing them. They had declared war on the rest of Panem, and while there were plenty of rebels in some of the districts, others still had plenty of citizens loyal to the Capitol, who would undoubtedly get full support from said Capitol when the battle came to their doorstep. They had to play their cards carefully.

There was no victor of the 100th Annual Hunger Games, since there was no official games. The arena might have still stood somewhere out in the remote reaches of Panem, but the game was a lot different now—with Panem as the arena and the citizens as the tributes, these were Hunger Games that they would not so swiftly forget.

The tributes were welcomed to District 13 with open arms thanks to President Fox, and they even got to meet back up with Amy and Korra. The battle to rescue the tributes from the Capitol's clutches had ended… but the battle to free the districts was about to begin…

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)  
98HG: Shigeru Lombardi (#9, District 3)  
99HG: Lyndis DeSiete (#7, District 8)  
100HG: Cancelled; Revolution in Progress


	101. The 100th Nationwide Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _This is the meat of the story, with the Panem-wide "Hunger Games" war that takes place across the districts. This is obviously a very abridged version of the full events, which I am slowly covering in my fanfic 'The 100th Annual Hunger Games', but it does its job well enough for the time being. Either way, this is more or less a fight for whether the Capitol will remain in power and the games continue, or if the rebellion can stop them and end the games for good._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The 100th Nationwide Hunger Games**

Some called the 2nd Rebellion "The 101st Annual Hunger Games", while others called it the real 100th games. Most people called it neither, but whatever people called it, The Mockingjay Rebellion had begun for real, and the districts were now at war with Panem. "District 14" had become a thing—an idea of people who supported the rebellion and revolution. The idea behind it was that District 14 could not be bombed, for The Capitol could not bomb an idea. These were the stakes of the war. District 12 had fallen, and was now in District 13's possession. The tributes from the would-be 4th Quarter Quell had safely arrived there, and that became the base of operations, led primarily by District 13 President Laurel Fox, and by Hunger Games victor Korra Francisco.

Part of the reason it had taken so long for them to stage this rebellion was because they were trying to minimize casualties, knowing that a less-planned-out war would result in countless deaths that could have theoretically been avoided. Korra as fairly adamant about this, trying to reduce the number of innocent lives lost in combat as much as possible.

District 8 and District 11 seemed like the most plausible secondary targets for the rebellion to overthrow, although with further analysis, some members of the rebellion pointed out that strategically, District 3 would be extremely useful to overthrow. Incidentally, Korra approved of this maneuver, and so the rebellion began working on the appropriate preparations to move in and take District 3.

However, they were thrown for a loop shortly afterwards. The citizens of District 4, who had been rather secretive about the operation up until now, successfully staged their own rebellion, and even breaking off from Capitol rule for a short time. However, President Romula Snow swooped in without hesitation, and soon the district was back under Capitol control. Romula used this as leverage against Korra, warning her that for each day she and her rebellion refused to surrender, she would publicly execute another citizen from the district. Despite this, Korra knew that she could not give in, and so did the tributes, victors, and citizens of District 14. As such, they continued with the move on District 3.

They were able to successfully infiltrate the district, and since the mayor and the remaining victors were in on it as well, they garnered a lot of support before the fighting even began. The remaining soldiers discovered an old but powerful generator in the outskirts of the district where they had made a sort of base, and with the help of a few tech-savvy geniuses from Districts 3, 5, and 6, they managed to get it up and running again. This later played an important part of the taking of the district, for the rebels aimed to seize electrical and technological facilities rather than government buildings, and so the battle of District 3 had officially begun.

Korra was in on the fighting as she swore to be, what with being the leader and all, and she and her soldiers hunkered down as Capitol hovercrafts began dropping bombs. Rebel lives were lost, but the power to District 3 got knocked out—an extreme rarity. The rebels had seized the backup generator station and the Capitol did not want to bomb that. Peacekeepers besieged the building though and attempted to draw out the rebels, but the emergency generators that were at the Mockingjay Camp kicked in, powering the buildings the rebels were in, which allowed them to hijack technology and other gadgetry that gave them an edge over the Capitol military. District 3 fell to the rebels in a rather poetic 3 days by the time all was said and done. This gave them a stronger foothold as Romula made her move in response. The executions in District 4 were still going, and she showed clips of people being drafted into the Capitol military from Districts 1, 2, and 5, which were the most loyal. It was a mindgame to Korra, but she managed to stay collected as they made their next move—District 8. A garrison in District 3 remained to keep it under Rebellion control, and this number was bolstered by the numerous rebels in the district that offered their support to the Mockingjay. Now with their sights on neighboring District 8, it seemed that their goal would be to cut off District 11 from the Capitol and then take it over next.

Unlike District 3, taking over District 8 was a move that practically made the district fall right into their hands. The Capitol didn't even bother sending military units to defend it. They would just fly over and harass the place by dropping bombs on it instead. This forced the rebellion to bring in tanks, crafts, and artillery to help defend the district as Korra moved onto the next district.

The siege of District 11 went a little differently. The Capitol was selective about bombing it due to its importance as a source of food, but it seemed that the rebels were quite fine with watching a lot of the place burn. Instead of setting a torch to the whole place, a few smart-thinking individuals from '12 and '13 suggested that they just connect District 11 with nearby District 12 the same way District 13 had connected with District 12. While small and strategically insignificant, District 12 had all but become untouchable by the Capitol at this point, and was the rebellion's strongest vantage point. Powerful mining equipment got to work starting in District 12, making a tunnel through the no-man's land, with various checkpoint stops along the way, including one on the fringes of District 8. The siege of District 11 lasted over a week, but once the machinery secretly connected District 11 and 12 (and 8, by geographic convenience), the Capitol found their food supplies missing, and suddenly (unbeknownst to them) starvation stopped being a problem in District 12. Technically it had stopped the moment that District 13 had taken control of the place, but the extra food and supplies were great for District 14's morale.

Korra and the District 14 rebellion managed to take over District 11 with concerted effort, but more than half the country still remained under Capitol control. Roy and Zelda, the pair of tributes from District 9 that had helped escape the 100th Hunger Games, suggested that they use a feint to try and trick the Capitol. They, Korra, Fox, and several others concocted this plan to act like they were moving into District 6 to take it over, but instead, would take over District 9. It was a small and fairly insignificant target apart from the grain it had, and was so overlooked that they did not expect there would be much Capitol presence there.

This, however, was where they were wrong. Forces from District 1 to the west and District 2 from the south had poured into the district, using it as a sort of no-man's land between the rebellious half of Panem and the half that Romula still had a firm grip on. Her demoralizing games continued, adding District 9 and District 7 to the list of places she publicly made an example of in front of the rebellion, alongside District 4. The idea of moving to take District 10 instead came up, but since that would just put them face to face with Districts 5 and 2, the idea was quickly dropped. So far no casualties had been reported from '10, and so perhaps it was for the best that they stay out of it for the time.

The rebellion retreated but then tried again with a stronger force made up of additional soldiers from Districts 3 and 8. They had restabilized District 11, and the people of that district seemed more than happy to support the cause, with even some of the more loyalist citizens defecting after their harsh treatment by the Capitol during the siege.

As a result, the 2nd battle of District 9 went much smoother than the 1st attempt. This move also effectively cut off District 6 from the Capitol's support, and the rebellion used that to their advantage in an attempt to metaphorically bleed the district dry. The problem was that District 9 was in a precarious position, and so the rebellion's hold on it was shaky. Being adjacent to District 1, District 2, and the Capitol made it very precarious, and the southern and western reaches of the district were in danger most of the time. Either way, they brought in reinforcements, also hijacking a great many resources from District 6 in preparation of another move.

After they had enough manpower and vehicle power on their side, they made a charge into District 7, where the Capitol was expecting them. For a while it looked like the rebels were going to get pushed right back out of District 7 and possibly even District 9, and morale stooped. It was only after a District 4 woman named Lilac Durango showed up as a refugee and revealed to the populace of District 7 the atrocities being committed in District 4, that the rebellion regained momentum. Not wanting to end up with bombings and executions, the people of District 7 resorted to chaotic guerilla warfare that claimed the lives of many on both sides, but ultimately secured the district for the rebels. District 14 became a prominent force in District 7, and the foothold in District 9 grew. Without any Capitol aid, District 6 turned itself over to the rebellion as well, and certain victors, including the Meraxa family, took advantage of the drug withdrawals many of the citizens were going through, and kept them sated. Their primary targets were the less rebellious individuals, to keep them sedated and prevent an uprising against District 14. This worked well enough that it was clear the Mockingjay's hold on District 6 was firm. This was the reassurance the rebellion needed, and after several long, brutal weeks and months of fighting their way across Panem, Korra knew that it was time for them to finally rescue District 4.

This was where the fiercest of the battles took place. None of the surviving citizens of this now war-torn district were very pleased with the Capitol, and so it was like District 12 all over again in the fierce but swift way they managed to take the district. After the fall of District 4, the remaining Capitol forces began to congregate in Districts 5, 2, and 1, which protected the Capitol on three sides. The eastern fringes of the Capitol were protected with heavy reinforcements, not wanting to provoke District 9, but also making sure that the rebellion couldn't just smash through into the heart of the Capitol either.

The next hurdle would be the battle of District 5, which would be pivotal for inhibit the spread of the Capitol. They were not ready to take Korra's home district, District 2, just yet. They were the final line of defense before the rebellion could penetrate the Capitol. Minor efforts were made in the meantime to take control of District 10, and a significant force from Districts 7, 8, and 9 were sent in to push District 1, but the main focus was on District 5 at the moment. The first battle was a spectacular loss that threw Korra into a state of hysteria for several days, effectively putting her out of commission.

The force from District 5 almost set the rebellion back, as the Capitol's forces swarmed from District 5 towards District 4. Fortunately, after Korra was able to return to commission, she was able to drive the Capitol forces back out of District 4, and the true battle of District 5 began anew. This was the fiercest battle the rebellion dealt with yet, and the battle took place over several days. Eventually it got to the point where the power plants were attacked, and this was finally the kind of strength that District 14 needed to take them down. Of course, because of the way the priority system of Panem was set up, power remained for the Capitol, although it was knocked out in District 4, District 11, and District 12. Incidentally, the rebels in District 4 were able to use this much more to their advantage than the Capitol, and thus they were able to retain their hold over the already badly shaken district.

Korra knew that the battle of District 2 would have to be done in sections, and that another contingent of rebels would need to keep District 1 occupied in the meantime. Korra helped lead this first distraction, with heavy strikes against District 1 in an attempt to cripple it and the military forces found there. Shortly after this invasion had gained momentum, Korra took the main body of the rebellion to move in on District 2. They surrounded it from all sides except the north (which is where the Capitol was situated) and launched a sweeping siege-like invasion that ruthlessly pounded the district with everything the rebels had. The district suffered heavy damage, since the rebellion essentially bombed it repeatedly with vehicles and ammunition from District 13's stockpiles, and eventually, the remaining loyalists surrendered. The final move of the revolution was now.

Storming the Capitol was almost like another Hunger Games in and of itself. The city was rigged up with all kinds of mutts, traps, and hazards, and surprisingly, the military here was actually well-founded and formidable. The real wedge in the Capitol's strength came from a few of the former Gamemakers, formerly believed to be in Romula's inner circle. When the time was right, they betrayed her, defecting to the rebellion and allowing them to secure critical chokepoints in the city, and eventually have them besiege the President's Mansion. Here was where Romula made her final stand, and it was here that she eventually surrendered without much further bloodshed. The war was over, but the damage was done. Romula had wreaked havoc across Panem during this bloody civil war, and now she and her circle were going to atone for their crimes. This was the true end of the Hunger Games.  
…or was it?

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)  
98HG: Shigeru Lombardi (#9, District 3)  
99HG: Lyndis DeSiete (#7, District 8)  
100HG: Supposedly Cancelled; Status Debatable


	102. The True 100th Annual Hunger Games

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _A while ago I hinted that there was in fact a 100th victor of the Hunger Games. In this chapter, we learn that victor's identity in what I consider one of the most entertaining chapters in the entire series. While technically this 102nd installment ends the story, there are three more chapters that comprise an epilogue that will appear at the usual times the following week. In the meantime, here's the Quarter Quell; here's the arena, and here are the twists involved as this story culminates in one glorious finale. Enjoy the show; for I certainly had fun writing it._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**The True 100th Annual Hunger Games**

With the damage that Romula had done to Panem, the surviving victors and rebels put it to a vote as to how she should be punished. The eventual conclusion was simple: it was time for one final Hunger Games. Even Korra, opposed to needless bloodshed as she had originally been, had been hurt enough by this woman and her antics that she agreed to it all the same.  
Some called this the 102nd Annual Hunger Games. Others called it the real Quarter Quell or real 100th Hunger Games, considering that this year the rule twist was that 48 "tributes" would come from the Capitol—as a reminder to the Capitol from the districts that all of this destruction was their fault, and that the blood of 2400 other boys and girls was on their hands. Whatever the case, it was time to see what the original Quarter Quell arena had been set to be, and so the 48 tributes that had all thus far miraculously survived, all stood watch as the revolutionaries held a mock-"reaping" to pluck 48 high-ranking Capitol officials and stick them in a death arena. The last of these, perhaps unsurprisingly, was Romula Snow herself. However, in a twist of fate that no one, not even Korra, Amy, President Fox, or any of the Capitol rebels could have foreseen, four words echoed through the crowds, and the owner of the voice sounded oddly familiar.

"I volunteer as tribute."

From the crowds, Junichi Thatch stepped forward. Considering her role in the rebellion, not only as an unofficial therapist for the victors, but also as a valuable soldier in the war, this was not received well. Her brother Delun was just as adamant against it, but it seemed she could not be swayed in this regard. Her only stipulation was that Romula be forced to watch the entirety of the games as they played out. That was easily arranged, and furthermore, the nine most recent Hunger Games victors were chosen as the Gamemakers. It would be an interesting twist. On one hand there were cunning victors like Amy, Shigeru, and Lyndis. Others such as Korra, Eli, or Aveline, might have been more merciful. Shishio was fairly neutral to the whole thing, while many people both in the Capitol and out of it were worried that Lux and Cadence would be particularly sadistic Gamemakers. Time would tell.

Similar to standard protocol, however, they were all given the same three weeks of training in the same facility that the tributes had used for a century. They even had access to all the same state-of-the-art equipment. In fact, everything was the same except that instead of Peacekeepers posted to prevent any funny business, previous victors, soldiers from District 13, and some of Clove Kazera's 300-woman battalion were posted as sentinels around the facility. Fortunately, no one tried any funny business.

To the surprise of the some of the rebels, many of these high-ranking Capitol politicians turned out to be pretty competent fighters. Even Junichi, who scored a 12, wasn't exactly alone in that regard, for the victor-Gamemakers knew the system, and knew how to evaluate combat skills.

The arena was an interesting little layout though, and the evening before the games, the victors actually got a look at the holographic layout of the place, and were rather impressed with what they were dealing with. Shishio used his piloting skills to take the 48 tributes to the arena, bidding Junichi a final farewell as they parted ways.  
When the Capitol tributes rose from their pedestals, they found themselves in a plaza similar the ones that they would see in the Capitol. In the middle of the large plaza was the golden cornucopia, although there were suspicions that arose as the tributes looked around. The horn appeared to be empty, but maybe they were just not seeing what they were supposed to see?

The gong rang out and everyone raced towards the cornucopia, but found nothing. Almost immediately there was a sort of protest. They didn't intend to try and kill each other with just their bare hands. However, the Gamemakers had something in mind as well.

"_Attention tributes,"_ Lyndis' voice was heard across the arena, _"Welcome to Panem! As you likely figured, you are in the Capitol right now. The Capitol currently offers nothing to Panem on its own, it instead has to take from the districts around it for sustenance and protection. Hopefully you can remember which districts produce what items as you hunt for weapons, food, and resources. The odds will favor those who remember their geography, and remember—the tail of the cornucopia always points north. Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor."_

Most of the Capitolite tributes beelined it southward towards where they assumed District 2 would be, knowing that it was responsible for the weaponry of Panem. Junichi broke a trend and headed for the east towards where she assumed District 8 and District 11 would be. She might not have found the battle-ready weaponry that the other tributes were discovering in the "District 2" region of the arena, but she found sickles in "District 11", protective clothing and armor in "District 8", and shelter farther east in the "District 12" section. While she technically didn't know for sure, she was fairly certain that this arena was in fact a scale map of Panem. It made her curious to see how the rest of the games would go down. For now though, she was not going to get involved. However, when the Gamemakers announced a feast on the first evening, she suddenly had an idea for what they were going for.  
There was in fact food back at the cornucopia, and so it was not just a ruse, but now everyone was armed and dangerous. The bloodbath happened as a result of this, and 16 Capitol tributes lost their lives, five of which were by Junichi's hand. The sickles she had snatched up proved to be formidable weapons, and she was one of the only people who had trained in combat skills long before this game. She had not known that these Hunger Games were going to happen this way by any means, but she had always believed in strength to back up her words and actions. As such, she had an edge over her competition and planned to keep that edge as the games persisted.

Because of the lack of districts as well as solidarity, there was no real "career pack" this year, and so all of the trends that the districts followed were thrown out the window. There were no conniving tributes from District 3 or District 4 to contemplate joining the careers; no wildcards from Districts 5, 6, 7, or 8; no fodder from '9 or '10, and no wild, strong tributes from '11 and '12 to serve as primary opposition to the career pack. There weren't even district partners, and so it seemed that this was the most like a Battle Royale than any of the games that came before it—and if the rebellion had their way, this would be a one-of-a-kind game, and no others would follow it.

By the time Day 5 rolled around, 11 more tributes had lost their lives, leaving 21 still alive. Three of those kills belonged to Junichi, and she was proving to be quite the thorn in everyone's side. They knew she was hidden in the vast wheat fields representing District 9, but they had no real way of flushing her out, especially when the weather was as wild as it was. Wind and rain and long nights kept the tributes on their toes, which made some of the more seemingly useless areas become more useful to protect them from the inclement weather.

Junichi mostly used knives to eliminate her opponents, but she was eventually chased out of 'District 9'. She made her home instead in the nearby 'District 6' region of the arena, which was a similar labyrinthine setup as the wheat field, except more urban instead. Here she also started building traps before she got any competition, as this locale was a bit more hazardous than the ones before it. In fact, the more the games progressed, the more hazardous the entire arena seemed to become. Luckily for Junichi, she was above that sort of thing, and reacted swiftly to each and every hazard that she encountered. The Gamemakers were very subtle about the pattern of things they threw at Junichi, but they also knew that they couldn't make it too obvious that they wanted her to win.

Day 7 and Day 8 both saw torrential rainfall, during the which time Junichi migrated back to 'District 2'. Originally a hotspot when tributes wanted to snag themselves a killer weapon, now it was mostly left deserted because of the lack of usefulness that stone, rock, and extra weapons had. Junichi knew better though, and scaled some of the smaller mountains to avoid the rising tides. By the time Day 9 rolled in, there were only 14 tributes left: 6 were slain either by other tributes or by the water, and the last one thought the same thing Junichi did and tried to scale the mountains. She was no match for Junichi's knives and reflexes, however, and she became Junichi's 9th kill.

Romula was kept out of the games for a psychological reason that Junichi had known from the get-go, and now the others were finally starting to realize what it was. These were people of her inner circle, and while she had claimed that they were disposable, now that she was powerless to prevent their deaths, seeing each one get slaughtered by her enemies (including Junichi, who was an enemy to the totalitarian Capitol at this point anyways) was striking her harder and harder. She actually recoiled in what looked like fear on Day 10, where Junichi detonated a handmade grenade that killed 4 more Capitolites in a matter of seconds. A 5th one followed minutes later by being unfortunate enough to cross paths with Junichi. The endgame was approaching.

Day 11 marked the beginning of the end. The areas representing District 12, District 3, and District 8 were bombarded with Gamemaker fireballs, rendering all three areas uninhabitable. Junichi was the only one to realize that there was significance in the order of these attacks. She knew that the next day would involve the destruction of the areas representing District 11, District 9, and District 7, in that order, and sure enough, she was right. The pattern was obvious: the rebels were destroying the arena in the same order that the District 14 Rebellion had taken Panem in—and so was scheduled to end with the Capitol section on Day 14. It was clearly symbolic, both of the District 14 rebellion, and also because the last decade of Hunger Games had all been 14 days long each.

Sure enough, those three areas of the arena were taken down, and with them went two more Capitolites. Junichi bunkered down in the Capitol region, slaying another tribute to take over his camp, and bringing the remaining tribute count down to 6. At least two tributes didn't realize the pattern until too late, for the regions representing District 6, District 4, and District 10 went down on Day 13, killing them, and injuring a 3rd Capitolite. The day of reckoning was near.

Day 14 saw the end of the areas for District 5, District 1, and then finally District 2, leaving only the Capitol region intact (and claiming another tribute's life), with the golden cornucopia standing symbolically in front of them. This was where it ended.

Later that afternoon, another cannon went off. The man who had been wounded from the earlier strikes succumbed to his injuries, leaving only Junichi and one other woman, who squared off in the central plaza, sidestepping around the cornucopia. Both of them looked ready to launch their knives at the other. Junichi was actually the slower of the two, getting struck in the upper chest near her right shoulder, disabling her dominant hand for the moment. However, she was just as proficient at throwing knives with her left hand, and so she triggered a surprising reaction when she launched a knife deftly into her opponent's throat, and promptly ended the 4th Quarter Quell. The Capitol Hunger Games was over, and it would be the first and last of its kind, and of the Hunger Games in general. Junichi Senwa Thatch was the 1st and only victor from the Capitol, and the 100th victor of the Hunger Games—after all, everyone, victor or not, considered this game to be a Hunger Games just like any of the 99 that preceded it. It was merely a Quarter Quell with a rule twist: said twist simply being that there would be 48 tributes chosen from the Capitol, and chosen by the past victors of the games.

Junichi was shaken from her experience, and actually suffered similar trauma to the victors, despite it being voluntary. However, she was vastly supported by victors and rebels alike and made a quick recovery, even if some of the scars were permanent, just as they were on all victors.

Incidentally, the other victors treated Junichi like a real victor as well, and they were the strongest advocates of putting her on the metaphorical Panemian throne. They knew that she would help set things right, and that the days of totalitarian oppression were over—and surprisingly, they were right. It took a lot of effort and cooperation, but Junichi Thatch became President of Panem, and helped lead the now united country into an era of prosperity. After 102 years of division, oppression, violence and blood, the Hunger Games were finally over—this time for good.

* * *

**_VICTORS BY YEAR:  
_**1HG: Fukaya Kerezaki (#1, District 5)  
2HG: Lucy Takamatzu (#1, District 11)  
3HG: Naseru Litzak (#1, District 3)  
4HG: Naisha Szasz (#1, District 2)  
5HG: Jade Prima (#1, District 1)  
6HG: Cedar Hardin (#1, District 7)  
7HG: Susan Jackman (#2, District 5)  
8HG: Malcolm Reed (#1, District 6)  
9HG: Mags Cohen (#1, District 4)  
10HG: Faren Dragmire (#2, District 1)  
11HG: Maius Karuha (#2, District 2)  
12HG: Iunius Karuha (#3, District 2)  
13HG: Hilda White (#1, District 10)  
14HG: Minali Otoyome (#2, District 3)  
15HG: Willow James (#3, District 1)  
16HG: Lark Chandnea (#2, District 11)  
17HG: Woof Casino (#1, District 8)  
18HG: Leah Holden (#2, District 7)  
19HG: Zeruda Mezkiel (#2, District 6)  
20HG: Muscida Lee (#2, District 4)  
21HG: Kada Lahka (#4, District 2)  
22HG: Gleam DiFronzo (#4, District 1)  
23HG: Ivette Coronado (#3, District 5)  
24HG: Olivia Thurman (#1, District 9)  
25HG: Laurel Fox (#1, District 12)  
26HG: Daron Armstrong (#5, District 2)  
27HG: Cobalt Evans (#5, District 1)  
28HG: Lyme Golding (#6, District 2)  
29HG: Ash LosDias (#3, District 7)  
30HG: Challis Worth (#2, District 8)  
31HG: Beetee Latier (#3, District 3)  
32HG: Fletch Crossley (#4, District 5)  
33HG: Seeder Howell (#3, District 11)  
34HG: Price Emerson (#6, District 1)  
35HG: Leto Irizari (#7, District 2)  
36HG: Jackson Kjelle (#5, District 5)  
37HG: Zerviah Hawke (#3, District 6)  
38HG: Wiress Plummer (#4, District 3)  
39HG: Nephi Lott (#3, District 4)  
40HG: Miriam Luxio (#7, District 1)  
41HG: Marcelina Kovac (#6, District 5)  
42HG: Niles Lincoln (#8, District 2)  
43HG: Blight McKay (#4, District 7)  
44HG: Sagittaria Svenja (#4, District 11)  
45HG: Dezna Meraxa (#4, District 6)  
46HG: Alice DeSiete (#3, District 8)  
47HG: Aurum Zianja (#8, District 1)  
48HG: Layla Aranai (#9, District 2)  
49HG: Chip Sangster (#5, District 3)  
50HG: Haymitch Abernathy (#2, District 12)  
51HG: Derrick James (#7, District 5)  
52HG: Chaff Mitchell (#5, District 11)  
53HG: Brutus Gunn (#10, District 2)  
54HG: Tiffany Waxler (#2, District 10)  
55HG: Zak Dreggite (#4, District 4)  
56HG: Zoroka Chandaki (#9, District 1)  
57HG: Cecelia Sanchez (#4, District 8)  
58HG: Meili Meisha (#5, District 6)  
59HG: Zhin Lyautey (#6, District 3)  
60HG: Lucas Drazen (#10, District 1)  
61HG: Kara Petersen (#5, District 7)  
62HG: Enobaria Taos (#11, District 2)  
63HG: Gloss Zianja (#11, District 1)  
64HG: Cashmere Zianja (#12, District 1)  
65HG: Finnick Odair (#5, District 4)  
66HG: Elroy Trujillo (#12, District 2)  
67HG: Varric Svenja (#6, District 11)  
68HG: Carver Tabris (#2, District 9)  
69HG: Bethany Shanza (#8, District 5)  
70HG: Annie Cresta (#6, District 4)  
71HG: Johanna Mason (#6, District 7)  
72HG: Immanuel Cox (#3, District 10)  
73HG: Paige DeSiete (#5, District 8)  
74HG: Clove Kazera (#13, District 2)  
75HG: Katniss Everdeen (#3, District 12)  
76HG: Johnny Stallings (#9, District 5)  
77HG: Ikki Ortolani (#7, District 3)  
78HG: Ryuka Satoru (#6, District 6)  
79HG: Nailah Zoraki (#13, District 1)  
80HG: Zenzi Tallarico (#7, District 11)  
81HG: Kaede Raiden (#14, District 2)  
82HG: Katsuo Raiden (#15, District 2)  
83HG: Mandy Ikezhen (#7, District 4)  
84HG: Vigo Zakatau (#4, District 12)  
85HG: Resin Balthezar (#7, District 7)  
86HG: Marian Greene (#3, District 9)  
87HG: Connor McIrish (#6, District 8)  
88HG: Ian Nelson (#8, District 3)  
89HG: Kozue Sowa (#8, District 11)  
90HG: Gill Wainright (#8, District 4)  
91HG: Aveline Togisala (#5, District 12)  
92HG: Amy Zavala (#16, District 2)  
93HG: Korra Francisco (#17, District 2)  
94HG: Cadence Montoya (#10, District 5)  
95HG: Lux Calameda (#14, District 1)  
96HG: Shishio Meraxa (#7, District 6)  
97HG: Eli Christiansen (#9, District 11)  
98HG: Shigeru Lombardi (#9, District 3)  
99HG: Lyndis DeSiete (#7, District 8)  
100HG: Junichi Thatch (#1, The Capitol)


	103. EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Districts

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And thus begins the epilogue of The Victors' Chronicles. It's been a long ride full of plot twists, excitement, intrigue, and a whole lot of other elements mixed in as well, and I'm glad that people enjoyed what started out as a simple side project. Whatever the case, there are three chapters to deal with three groups in Panem. This is the first of those, and covers the fate of our favourite country._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Districts**

After the Hunger Games were permanently over, many changes took place across Panem. Borders were opened between the districts, quotas were removed, and humanitarian efforts were sent out to the poorer districts as well as the ones that suffered the most damage from the war. President Thatch surrounded herself with representatives from every district, including the newly readmitted District 13.

The individual victors still got to live like something of celebrities, but it also served as a solemn reminder that the things they had suffered in the arena were not to be taken lightly. The Games were taught in history books, serving as a warning for the country never to go down such a dangerous and divisive road again. Furthermore, the victors and tributes of the 100th Annual Hunger Games that never was, all wound up leaving influences across their home districts, and many of them obtained leadership positions as well.

District 1 remained the wealthiest district in Panem, and continued producing luxury goods for the more affluent citizens. The people there were somewhat humbled, although still generally possessed a cheerful and self-confident aura to them (as well as head-turning good looks). Lucas Drazen was elected mayor, and he perpetuated that culture rather well. He was succeeded by Kalia Luxio, a granddaughter of victor Miriam Luxio, and helped further establish an almost overly-friendly reputation for the place.

District 2 served as a military center for Panem, although during the times of peace, they served more as a law enforcement sector instead. The district's industry of masonry became much more prominent, raising beautiful and solid buildings across their homeland and Panem. The people here remained disciplined and militaristic, and while they originally tried electing Korra as the mayor, she declined the position, and instead offered it to Zerlinda, who helped lead the district into tactical prosperity.

District 3 recovered from the war quickly, and became a center of innovation and education. New inventions and creations helped further speed Panem's recovery along, and with Ian Nelson succeeding Ratchet as mayor, he helped organize communication lines between the districts to help better unite them after the war. With Ikki as one of the chief supervisors in the technology hub, the district's influence spread rapidly and it became a very wealthy district.

District 4 spent a lot of the time immediately following the war working on repairs, where it was aided greatly by the less war-torn districts. Eska Ikezhen assumed a leadership position in the district, and with the help of her mother Mandy as well as numerous humanitarian efforts from the Capitol and several of the districts, it did not take very long before the blue skies, shimmering beaches and waves, and the overall cheery atmosphere of the coastal district was back in full swing.

District 5 remained fairly mysterious as it had always been, although worked to restore power to the country as well as innovate with new designs for various machines and facilities. It also made sure that the more distant locales did not suffer brownouts and blackouts like they used to; and overall, with the help and leadership of Surge Takamatzu and Varsha Zenzi, they helped overhaul Panem's power grid to make it a cleaner, brighter place, while also turning it into the 2nd most prosperous district.

District 6 managed to curtail some of the drug endemic, although certain individuals helped keep a certain livelihood involved. While the district's primary focus was still vehicles and transportation, a sub-industry of medicine also sprang up, spearheaded by certain entrepreneurs who put their drug manufacturing skills to better use. This may or may not have been impacted by Shishio Meraxa and his family obtaining governing positions within the district.

District 7 went back to business as usual, although with Kara Petersen as one of the leading authorities, they learned more efficient ways to grow and harvest lumber, as well keeping the forests intact and regrowing at the same rate that they were cutting it down to prevent loss and excess damage. Mozello Shao was elected mayor at a surprisingly young age, but she also helped spearhead the efforts to help modernize the place without letting it lose its charm.

District 8 spent a lot of time rebuilding after the war, and with Lyndis DeSiete as the new mayor, she helped clean the place up and make the bright, jubilant colors that the people wore stand out. While in terms of wealth it remained a middle-class district, the extensive beautification projects that it underwent caused it to be considered by many to be the most beautiful district in Panem. This vibe was also caused by the arts taking hold and becoming prominent pastimes for many citizens.

District 9 remained fairly quiet and unassuming, continuing to provide Panem with grains, beers, and breads among other things. Zelda Alto and Roy Keaton, the young tributes who displayed leadership qualities as early as the training center, ended up marrying, and assumed seats of government, where they helped keep their home district on the same steady, easy-going path it was on before the war, albeit now with a higher quality of life (and considerably better beer).

District 10 also remained rather low-key when all was said and done, preferring the rural, low-class lifestyle to the fast paced urbanized lifestyle that was taking root in many of the other districts. As such, their beautiful farmlands spread out for miles, and it was always a warm, inviting place to retreat to when people from other districts wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life.

District 11 no longer worried about starvation with the quotas removed, and with the help of individuals like Eli and Kozue, it started to move up in the world. Food was grown in abundance, and starvation was more just a whisper and a memory. It was one of the most fantastic places to visit during the fall, and many great feasts were held on regular occasions, which helped further bring the people of Panem together—even if at this point they hardly needed excuses to come together.

District 12 kept a sort of wildness to it even after everything was said and done. No one considered it overly dangerous any longer, but the wildernesses still held many secrets. As miners, the citizens of the district took after their northern neighbors and developed an extensive underground complex which became an innovation for the rest of Panem as well. With Vigo and Aveline basically running the place, they were able to bring the district into prosperity—or at the very least, far from poverty and starvation.

District 13 kept its military arsenal, although also used some of its ample resources to help the other districts get back on their feet. With the war over, they also returned to the surface, but like their southerly neighbors, also kept an underground network as well. It was often here that leaders and representatives from other districts would come when discussing Panem's future, and here where many great ideas and innovations for the country were born.

District 14 never fully disbanded after the war, and became something of a symbol of unity after Panem was back on its feet. For some, it became a nickname for the Capitol, which after the war felt much more like a district than a seat of oppression with Junichi in charge. They remained opulent as ever, but with several shining examples from Capitolites that joined the rebellion, philanthropy became something of a trend. In terms of what it produced, the beautiful landscapes and state-of-the-art technologies had it become something of a mixture of the other 13 districts, almost becoming a jack-of-all-trades sort of hub. It continued to be a trading hub and financial center, but also became a popular tourist destination as people got to tour the beautiful Capitol without worrying about oppressive overlords striking them down.

While there were scars and grudges that did not exactly heal overnight, therapy became a much more prevalent thing across the country, which was a godsend for many of the traumatized soldiers and victors, including even Junichi herself. She also helped spearhead several efforts to try and further unite the country, such as expanding the rail lines and roadways from District 6 to the remaining districts; upgrading the electrical infrastructure from District 5 into the other districts (particularly District 4, District 11, and District 12, which were the most prone to blackouts or brownouts before then) and was a major leader in the efforts from District 3 to connect the country.

There were also concerted efforts to help integrate the Capitol and District 13 to be more on the same level as the other districts, and this was mainly done with attempts to bring the districts up, rather than drag the Capitol down. Obviously there was a lot of extravagance and waste that was cut back in the Capitol, but lifestyles and the overall quality of life there remained rather pleasantly high. By contrast, District 13's efforts were more just to help it more properly integrate with the other districts, and its moderately-high quality of life managed to remain intact. President Fox was very cooperative in her final days, and ended up pulling several strings and managed to get Clove Kazera in the presidential seat. Her fearless (and somewhat ruthless) attitude, coupled with her tenacity and formidable combat skills, made the District 2 victor perfect for the job, and Clove did not argue it.

Panem did not become a perfect utopia, let alone overnight, but there was a noticeable and very obviously increase in the quality of life for everyone involved. Even the Capitol's quality-of-life improved, as people became more productive as opposed to just finding whatever they could to waste their time on, and the productivity gave many citizens of the opulent Capitol a feeling of purpose. Many of them also embraced the "District 14" nickname, for President Thatch pushed it heavily that the Capitol and the Districts were now as equals. It was never fully renamed, although 'District 14' had become all but official at the end of the day, anyways. Overall, no one could deny that Panem was on its way to a much brighter and happier future.

* * *

**AFTERTHOUGHTS:  
**_I'm sure I could write an entire spin-off series about the rebuilding and the future of Panem from here, but sometimes, it's better just to call it a night. It should also be noted that in some of the next chapters, there are references to "District 14" as a place. These are references to the new Capitol under Thatch's reign, not a new location or anything._


	104. EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Victors

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _And thus the 2nd of the three epilogues arrives. In this chapter, we get to learn about the surviving past victors, and the miracle that occurred during the war. There are a handful of victors not included in this chapter for a specific reason, but we will definitely still see them; they'll just be in the last chapter instead._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Victors**

After the war, it was no mystery that the Hunger Games had ended, although the scars of these games still ran deep in the minds and hearts of 100 individuals over the course of the previous century. Of these, some had gone the way of the world, and many were too old to really worry about what came next for them. Of the 64 victors that still drew breath, Laurel Fox stood as the eldest of these, and she was one of many who attributed the survival of the other victors through the war to be nothing short of a literal miracle. She retained her position as President of District 13, although after the reunification of Panem, she changed her title to Mayor.

Olivia Thurman passed away during the war, but hers was a peaceful one of natural causes rather than a casualty of the war, and as such, she was grieved by many and honored by all.

Lyme, Seeder, Leto, Zerviah, and Miriam were all old enough that they knew they were in their final years, which in turn meant they settled down in their home districts of '2, '11, '6, and '1, and lived the remainder of their days out in peace and happiness.

Blight McKay's lifestyle did not change much either considering that he was not much younger than the aforementioned victors, and he spent most of this time out on his porch admiring the beauty of his restored district.

Sagittaria Svenja was something of a comedian, and vowed to be until the day she died. She was hale for her old age, and even actively took place in some of the many humanitarian and restoration efforts in District 11 and even District 12 and District 8 as well. It is also largely believed that she built another replica of the infamous wooden crossbow she had constructed during her games.

Dezna Meraxa kept the old family business alive, but as living conditions improved in District 6, he gradually helped use his entrepreneurial skills to shift from developing notorious buzz-drugs and painkillers into developing medicines with more useful or practical qualities. He didn't ever stop manufacturing Substance 21, however, and to this day there remains a market for it.

Alice DeSiete was finally at peace now that the Capitol had been overthrown and that the Hunger Games were put to an end. He spent his final days as a renowned painter and artist, although every year on a certain day that seemed to hold no significance to anyone else, he would visit the grave of fallen tribute Paige Alwin, his district partner in the 46th Hunger Games. Aside from his own wedding ring, he had a ring on the ring finger of his other hand as well: the engagement ring Paige had crafted for her former lover. The day Alice made his yearly visit was what would have been Paige's birthday.

Aurum Zianja lived the rest of her life out in the lap of luxury, watching her children Cashmere and Gloss grow up and start families of their own. Even in her elder years, she was still considered to be quite the looker, but would talk to anyone willing to listen about her "glory days" half a century ago.

Layla Aranai never fully recovered from the trauma that she suffered from in her games, but once the war was over, she managed to retain a reasonable amount of stability.

Chip Sangster assisted the citizens of Panem in organizing the communications lines between districts. Despite his extensive travels, he wound up returning to District 3 when all was said and done.

Haymitch Abernathy never overcame his alcoholism habit much like many of the other victors, but he spent the rest of his days gambling and drinking with Katniss, Vigo, and Aveline. He'd occasionally visit District 11 where he'd have drinks with his buddies Chaff and Varric, and occasionally hear a good comedy from Sagittaria, but ultimately he, like most other victors his age, ended up back in his home district at the end of the day.

Like most victors and citizens of District 5, few people know much about what became of Derrick James, other than that he survived the war. It was rumored that he showed up a few times in District 3, but ultimately returned to his old roost back in District 5.

Chaff Mitchell kept District 11 lively with his boldness and drinking games, although he'd also occasionally visit District 12 to have drinks with his buddies Haymitch and (less often) Katniss. Other times he was among the many people who Sagittaria entertained back at home.

Like many who were used to the combat and military life, Brutus Gunn had some difficulty adjusting to "civilian" lifestyle. He was also too old to really join the Peacekeeper force at his age, and so he spent most of his time at his own home offering combat training to anyone interested.

Zak Dreggite was one of the few older victors that travelled around, and while he spent much time in District 4, he also seemed drawn to District 3 and District 8 for whatever reasons, where he was well-liked. No one really knew what he did for a living, except that within less than a couple years, everyone seemed to know him, and he seemed to know everything going on.

No one ever really knew what Zoroka Chandaki did before her games, and no one really knew what she did after them. Before, during, and after the war were all very similar in that regard. She was reported to have been seen in all thirteen districts including the Capitol multiple times, but also apparently spent enough time in District 1 to be seen there on a regular basis.

After the war, Cecelia Sanchez settled down with her family. As she grew older, her children began caring for her just as she had cared for them in their childhood. Free from the Hunger Games and the impending risk that her children or grandchildren could get sent to their deaths, Cecelia lived happily.

As one of the primary operatives in District 13 during the war, Zhin Lyautey ended up resettling there, but still paid regular visits to her victor's home in District 3. She was one of the leaders that spearheaded the integration of District 13 back into Panem.

Enobaria Taos was one of the veterans responsible for rebuilding in District 2, where she spent most of her days. She remained hale despite her middling age, and she helped whip the "younger generation of whippersnappers" into shape. She also became something of a grandmother figure for Mortan and Isabela Kazera. She occasionally visited District 13 for this reason, due to Clove's relocation.

Gloss and Cashmere Zianja returned to their families after the war, and remained under the watchful eye of their mother and matriarch, Aurum. Neither of them were much for words, but in a district as upbeat and lively as District 1, this was actually appreciated.

Finnick Odair spent the rest of his life with his best friend and lover, Annie Cresta. His son, Roman, followed in his footsteps, and became a model citizen of District 4. Even as his beauty naturally faded with age, he remained rather attractive, and his mellow personality kept him popular and easy for nearly anyone to approach him.

Elroy Trujillo spent a lot of time in District 4 helping with the rebuilding efforts, although he also took a few trips to District 9 as well. While he remained single like most other victors, he found comfort in watching Clove's children grow up and take after their mother.

Varric Svenja followed in his mother's footsteps, becoming a similarly lighthearted comic and humanitarian as he and his siblings continued the Svenja legacy in District 11. His efforts helped contribute to a much better quality of life throughout the district.

Annie Cresta's trauma never really left her, but with the help of her husband Finnick and their son Roman, she was able to stabilize somewhat, and ended up living the rest of her days out in peace.

Johanna Mason was originally considered one of the candidates for the mayoral elections, although she declined and "lost" to Mozello Shao. While she denies having any involvement in this case, even she admitted once that her story was pretty flimsy in that regard. Either way, no one was able to find any evidence actually tying it back to her, and so they lived and let live.

Paige DeSiete was at peace much like her father was once the war was over. She continued to raise her children in peace, and lived with her sister Hanna for the rest of their days.

Clove Kazera relocated to District 13, where she eventually succeeded Laurel as mayor (formerly president). Despite this new duty, she still made plenty of trips back to District 2 to visit old friends, and travelled across the country, having become something of a celebrity when all was said and done. Even to this day, she still holds the title of 'best knife-thrower in Panem', although her daughter Isabela is gradually catching up to her…

Katniss Everdeen remained fairly distant, and made her home back in District 12, where she freely roamed the woods. Occasionally anyone bold enough to venture into those woods will hear singing, and on even rarer occasions, will witness one of her secretive but surprisingly elegant dances.

Johnny Stallings went quiet after the war, going back to his own devices like most District 5 citizens did. It is believed that he ended up moving to District 9.

Not much is known about what became of Ryuka Satoru, but it's believed that he remained in District 6 doing what he loved doing best—which was a common pastime in District 6.

Nailah Zoraki never really got over her alcoholism either, although she'd spend a lot of time with Miriam as they drank together in the afternoons and evenings.

Zenzi was responsible for a great many humanitarian efforts around Districts 9, 10, 11, and 12. She enjoyed District 9 the most out of these, but ended up returning to District 11 when all was said and done, because that was where she called home.

Ian Nelson eventually became the mayor of District 3, and was the one primarily responsible for getting the idea of a nationwide communications system out there. He travelled back and forth between Districts 13, 5, 3, 6, and 14 (the Capitol) to help organize it and earn cooperation from some of the most major players, and this act, as well as several of his other acts, led his district into prosperity.

Even to this day it is still considered a miracle that the victors all managed to survive the war. While most of them that were not pulled into the 100th Hunger Games were old and remained in their homes to live out the rest of their days, there were many from the middle generations that travelled the country now that the borders were removed and Panem was a single, united country once again. Most of the districts retained their distinct cultures and personalities, but were no longer pitted against one another in death games or by Capitol propaganda. It was a New Golden Age for Panem indeed.

* * *

**AFTERTHOUGHTS:** _Like the previous chapter, I could likely go into great detail about everything these victors did in their lives after the war, but that would probably be a whole new set of stories. Perhaps some day in the distant future, but don't hold your breath._


	105. EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Heroes

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:** _nearly 2 years ago, I began this story as something of a random slow-paced side-project. Admittedly, the early chapters were slow-going because the games were the same way. Others were lengthier or shorter, and some were downright thrilling for me to write. Whatever the case, here is the final epilogue of The Victors' Chronicles, as I leave with a passing message of gratitude for any and all who read and enjoy this story. Those who enjoyed it might also enjoy some of my individual fics, such as the ones based off of chapters 91, 92, 93, etc., but I'll leave that up to the readers. Anyways, here we get to see what became of the 48 tributes that escaped from the Hunger Games, as well as the Mockingjay herself and her second-in-command._  
_Happy Reading!_

* * *

**EPILOGUE: After the Games—The Heroes**

Some of the most impacted people by the war of course, were Korra Francisco herself, who led the revolution, and Amy Zavala, who was her right-hand during the war. Apart from them, the most impacted people were the 24 victors that were reaped and nearly sent into the 100th arena, as well as the 24 boys and girls that they were forced to pick to accompany them. While most of them went their separate ways, every year or two these 50 individuals (Amy, Korra, and the 48 tributes) would reunite at the Capitol Square on the anniversary of their victory against Romula's regime for celebrations and festivities, among other things. The fact that the Capitol was now often times unofficially referred to "District 14" was another symbol of the freedom Panem enjoyed.

Lucius Banks and Lucina Aldrich returned to their homes in District 1 and went back to leading fairly normal lives, although both were talented individuals who excelled in their fields. Lucius became a well-known jeweler, while Lucina became a popular supermodel who took many trips to the Capitol and to District 8, where her looks and appearances started new trends across Panem.

Zoram Michelli and Zerlinda Franz were very influential people upon their return, where a certain sense of natural leadership was spotted in Zerlinda in particular. Zoram backed her up in this regard, and the two were instrumental in helping the Capitol adapt to a less wasteful society. After Korra Francisco declined to become the next mayor and leader of District 2, Zoram launched a campaign to get Zerlinda elected, despite her young age. He succeeded in this endeavor, and Zerlinda helped lead District 2 into an era of further prosperity.

Circuit Lohan and Crystal Martinez lived quietly, although both worked to aid District 3 in their recovery efforts after the war. While neither of them gained as much notoriety as some of the victors of the district, they were content to retain their reputations as "heroes from the rebellion" and keep it at that rather than try to expand it further. As such, they lived happily.

Tide Swenson and Sunny Zendenga retreated to District 4 once the war was over, and little more was heard from them. It's commonly believed that they simply returned to living normal lives, although it was clear that like most of District 4, they rebuilt their district and enjoyed the beautiful scenery in peace and without any more bombings.

Surge Takamatzu and Varsha Zenzi vanished with nary a word as they went back to the mysterious recesses of District 5. While little more was heard from them after that, it was largely believed that they were part of the innovative sector of the district, and that despite their general silence and lack of being seen or heard, that they both still showed up every year for the victory anniversary.

Track McCloud and Marin Chutes went back to their lives in District 6 without much else in the way of fanfare. While they didn't feel like they were as heavily involved as some of the others, they were still treated as heroes, and were content with the deeds they were able to contribute in this way or that.

Birch Santos and Mozello Shao were similar insomuch that they returned to District 7 and led mostly quiet lives, but Mozello's ambitions ended up getting her elected as mayor of the place. She helped modernize the lumber industry a bit, but kept industrialization clean, as to keep the forest charm.

Jeremy Wilde and Mara Cerulean, both being fairly outspoken activists in District 8, helped turn the place around when they got home, but like most of the younger tributes, they spent most of their young adulthoods trying to live normal lives and recover from the war. Given the pro-rebellion nature of District 8, it was not hard for them to get all kinds of support in this endeavor.

While District 9 was a rather quiet and unassuming place before, during, and even after the war, no one could deny the powerful influence Roy Keaton and Zelda Alto had had, and naturally, they were the most popular people in District 9 upon their return, even moreso than any of their victors (except perhaps the late Olivia). Both of them were given sears of government, and from all the time spent together in the war, the two wound up marrying. In a way, they credited their mentors for being responsible for bringing them together.

Rangi Darius and Elissa Calhoun returned to District 10 and quietly lived their lives as usual. They had not revolutionized the place the way their friends from District 9 had, but they did not mind the lack of attention on themselves either.

Josiah Flax and Amari Flax spent various amounts of time in Districts 14, 13, 12, and 11, and the two were inseparable. While neither one ended up in positions of government, they kind of established reputations across Panem as "those two siblings", but were ultimately well-liked. They became the first pair of citizens to take a grand tour of Panem without using a train or a hovercraft, which at the time was considered quite the accomplishment. Once they finished this, they returned to District 11 for the time being, though both of them dreamed of blazing new trails as they went.

Maric Dragmire and Malak Dragmire followed in their mother's footsteps, although considering the free-roaming nature of District 12, it was not surprising to see them influenced by the victors of the place. The sometimes travelled to the more rural districts like '11 or '7, always being ones to appreciate Panem's countryside. They even ventured into the District 13 surface regions, and assisted them in some of the reconstruction efforts as well. Ultimately however, they returned to District 12 to enjoy living their lives with their mother in peace.

Lucas Drazen returned to District 1 where he was elected mayor for a while. After serving faithfully in this position for a few years, he retired and allowed a younger individual to take his place. He remained hale and lively into his older age, and was still able to drink anyone who challenged him under the table.

Lux Calameda went with her husband Cadence to District 14 where they threw a more formal/official and lavish wedding ceremony. After this, they lived rather quiet lives, and Lux turned out to be an exceptionally loving (and protective) mother of many beautiful children.

Katsuo Raiden never truly recovered from the trauma of his games, but he ended up finding a secluded place in District 9 to settle down and live out the rest of his days in peace and quiet.

Kaede Raiden was similar in this regard, never fully recovering from the horrific traumas she suffered in the games. She joined her brother and settled down in District 9 as well, for the same reasons.

Shigeru Lombardi helped in the rebuilding of District 3, and in the installation of the vast system of networks and communication and transportation lines that formed first in the district, and then in District 5 and into the Capitol, and then across the country. He settled down back in District 3, however.

Ikki Ortolani led one of the most ambitious technological overhaul projects ever witnessed on Panem. She spent great deal of time in Districts 6, 14, 13, 5, and 3, before finally settling back down and using her vast influence across District 3 to help lead it into a level of prosperity akin to Districts 1, 2, and 5.

Gill Wainright enjoyed the beaches of District 4, although after seeing how war-torn the district had become, he assisted in the cleanup efforts before marrying his sweetheart Kozue Sowa, and moved to District 1 with her.

Mandy Ikezhen remained in District 4 for most of her life, despite travelling to many of the other districts in the meantime. Her daughter earned a governmental position, which she assisted in as well, helping to rebuild their broken district and bring it nearly back up to par with Districts 3, 2, 5, and 1.

Cadence Montoya was not thrilled about the lavish wedding either, but knew that his wife Lux Calameda deserved that much. He went with her to District 14 and spent the rest of his days with her in relative peace. He also became an outstanding father, and parented a remarkable number of children.

Bethany Shanza was not a woman who sought much attention, and so like many from District 5, she went back to her home district to quietly live out the rest of her days. She had no complaints.

Shishio Meraxa continued the "Family Trade" in District 6, although also got into medicinal work as well, finding it rather enjoyable. He sometimes visited Districts 13 or 14, but mostly loitered around home.

Meili joined Zhin in District 13, deciding that she needed a change of pace. She assisted in the surface-area construction efforts, and lived a happy rest of her life there.

Kara Petersen travelled a great deal and helped lead and organize many reconstruction and humanitarian efforts, but ultimately ended up back in District 7, where she helped lead them to more prosperous times. Despite her age, she was still looked to as one of the greatest leaders of her time.

Connor McIrish went back to District 8 and helped keep things calm and flowing there. Without an active rebellion, most of the people fell back into line and order was easily restored, and Connor was believed to have helped play a part in this as well.

Lyndis DeSiete could not earn her family back from the clutches of Romula's Capitol since she could not raise the dead, but she stayed in District 8 with her surviving family, and eventually had children of her own, which she raised with love and care, knowing they would never have to know the Hunger Games—or the horrors that their mother, grandmother, and great-grandfather faced in those arenas.

Carver Tabris, having never been a terribly remarkable victor or district hero, went off on an adventure across Panem, drinking at each stop with impunity. He eventually settled down in District 5.

Marian Greene took a similar route, for similar reasons, although her travels ended her up in District 11. The similar atmospheres were a welcome sight for her, as was the even more rural farming.

Immanuel Cox returned to District 10 without much fanfare, and his partner Tiffany Waxler ended up going to District 6 for some reason. Some said it was because of a medicine/drug addiction, but most inquiries just had Tiffany smirking and walking away.

Eli Christiansen returned to his large family in District 11, and participated in a great deal of humanitarian efforts, particularly among the poorer and more war-torn districts to help as many people get back on their feet as possible. His peaceful nature and caring heart earned him an easy "Gentle Giant" reputation, and he was beloved by all.

Kozue Sowa was a wild individual who was difficult to keep tied down, but she remained with her sweetheart Gill for the rest of her days, and joined him in retirement over in District 1, where they eventually married and had children—all as wild and carefree as their parents.

Vigo Zakatau returned to District 12 and helped modernize the place, while also helping it keep some of its wild charm. His artistic skills went to great use in beautifying the district, and some of his images and murals still exist to this day. He also wound up marrying his successor Aveline, and the two lived a happy life together.

Aveline Togisala was one of the primary string-pullers in District 12, her quiet but cunning nature helping her keep things going exactly how she wanted them. Fortunately for others, her intentions were positive, and thus the district benefitted from her influence. She married Vigo despite the 6-year difference between them, and the two of them lived happily together.

Amy Zavala remained as something of a mentor figure as she matured even more so from her games. While she never grew much in terms of physical height, she was a brilliant-minded figure that was often sought out for advice. She and Kada Francisco married shortly after the war, settling down in District 2.

Korra Francisco remained in the spotlight after the war because of her leadership, selflessness, and heroism, and statues of the heroic "Mockingjay" line every District Square in front of the magnificent new Justice Buildings. The centerpiece of the Capitol became an enormous monument to Korra in her likeness, and the fact that the pedestal was emblazoned with a District 14 seal may have contributed to the locale's unofficial nickname of "District 14". As for the woman herself, Korra settled down in District 2, marrying the same Akiyo Chandaki that had served as her therapist during the war. She remained a popular and influential figure all across Panem, but at the end of the day, Korra herself felt that what made her special was simply that she was a young woman who was at the right place at the right time; just an ordinary woman who stepped up to do extraordinary things and help people.

Whatever the case, these victors and children of all walks of life all went their own separate ways, although yearly most or all of them would gather in District 14 for anniversary celebrations of the end of the Capitol regime, and celebrating the Golden Age of Panem. While there were many musings and speculations, one thing was clear: Panem was at peace, and the Hunger Games were over—for good.

* * *

_**AFTERTHOUGHTS:** And like all great things, this story now comes to an end. Originally chapters 100, 101, &amp; 102 were "secret chapters", and then with the addition of the epilogue, chapters 103, 104, &amp; 105 became "secret chapters" instead. However, this is truly the final chapter, and the last of the last. Sometime in the future I do intend to have another fic that showcases what these victors were like before their games and after them to display the changes they went through and such... although that's still a ways off._  
_Either way, thanks for reading!_


End file.
